


Addicted To You

by hughie87



Category: Smallville
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 19:45:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4799981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hughie87/pseuds/hughie87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark and Chloe are finally acting on all that passion and chemistry that lurks just underneath the surface.  What happens when they discover it is all just Red Kyprtonite fueled lust?  Clark tries to prove to Chloe his feelings are genuine but Chloe still doesn't trust it after one too many broken hearts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was really stressed out and I sat down to blow off steam and this is what came out a number of years ago. Just thought I would move it over here with all my others. Its set somewhere in Season 7, but a season 7 with the exceptions of a few things don't apply.

The farmhouse was peaceful. Ever since Lana and Clark called it quits the house seemed to return to its normal comforting aura. Clark looked forward to coming home at the end of the day now. It shocked Clark just how much he used to dread walking through the backdoor to find Lana at the stove in his mom’s apron, her bright smile hiding the insecurities deep within. She would sit him down at the table, bring him a tall glass of tea or lemonade and ask inane questions about his day. Clark would play along, not having the energy or the heart to interrupt the game of house.  
  
Stomping up on the steps to the porch, Clark’s face creased in a tired smile. He grasped the knob and opened the door. He stopped. Looking around, he could tell someone was in the kitchen. Scanning the room, he saw a pair of heels kicked off by the fridge, groceries scattered across the table and the counter, a few cooking utensils out of place and the table was set for two. Clark licked his lips nervously as he ventured further into the kitchen, listening closely for any sign of who the interloper could be. He heard soft humming and breathed a sigh of relief. Lana never hummed.  
  
“Hey, Mama,” Clark called out happily, assuming Martha had arrived home for a visit. Clark stopped at the sink, turning on the water to scrub his hands clean.  
  
“So,  _that’s_ what you’re in to,” a teasing voice spoke from behind him.  
  
Clark spun, his hands covered in lemon smelling suds to take in the sight of Chloe Sullivan, his recently absent best friend, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the family room. His smile widened as he tossed the cake of soap in the sink and set off for her.  
  
“Hey!” Clark greeted excitedly, ignoring his wet and soapy hands to gather Chloe tightly in a hug in the middle of the kitchen.  
  
Chloe laughed, ignoring the soaps stains Clark was leaving on her dove gray bolero jacket. “Good to know I was missed,” Chloe quipped as she hugged Clark back before pulling away. She reached over and grabbed a dish towel, taking Clark’s hands and rubbing them dry without a thought before tossing the towel in his face.  
  
Clark caught the towel with a grin as he watched Chloe as she went to the counter and began organizing the groceries. He made a questioning face and joined her, looking over the bounty. She shrugged off the wet jacket and hung it over a drawer handle, now just dressed in her white chiffon cap sleeved blouse that hung a little below her waist, sitting on her flared hips, emphasizing her hour-glass shape.  
  
“And just what is all this?” He asked, lifting up a head of broccoli, astonished Chloe had bought something green and unprocessed. Chloe jerked it out of his hand and proceeded over to the fridge, stashing it in the bottom drawer.  
  
“I got a text from your mom when I got off the plane,” Chloe began as she rifled through more of the sacks, searching for some more cold items. “She said she hoped I had a good trip and then said the last time she was here you were almost out of food. She sent me a list and told me to make sure you were fed.” Chloe swiveled around, a can of peas in her hand. “She then sent me a recipe to cook for dinner to ensure I was eating properly myself now that I was back home and at work.”  
  
“She’s killing two birds with one stone,” Clark replied as he emptied one of the bags, making sure to fold the reusable bag nicely to stuff back in Chloe’s trunk. “She’s afraid since Lana left all I’m eating are things that come in fast food bags or pizza boxes. And she mentioned last time she saw you, you seemed too skinny.”  
  
Chloe threw her head back and laughed merrily. “Yeah, right! I  _wish_ that was my problem,” Chloe responded as she pulled a chair over and climbed up on it to put the canned goods away. Clark turned his head watched her, his eyes drawn irresistibly to her round derriere as she stretched up to set the cans on the top shelf. Chloe continued, her voice slightly muffled by the cabinets. “Your mother is from the time when figures were meant to be celebrated.”  
  
“Looks just fine from where I’m standing,” Clark drawled out without thinking.  
  
Chloe threw a look over her shoulder, her mouth open in astonishment at Clark’s comment. Clark snapped his eyes back to meet Chloe’s, his mouth hanging open, not sure what to say.   
  
“Clark Kent!” Chloe gasped. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s not polite to tease a lady about the size of her rear?”   
  
Clark chuckled awkwardly, relieved that Chloe immediately chalked it up to him teasing her. Clark pondered thoughtfully if he was relieved or a little offended she didn’t think he was serious. He watched Chloe climb down off the chair, her trousers tugging and clinging to her hips, back and thighs. He swallowed and looked elsewhere, wondering just what had come over him.  
  
“And I can tell your mother had every reason to be worried,” Chloe observed as she grabbed some pizza boxes off one end of the table and set them outside the backdoor. Chloe eyed him and he could tell she was gearing up to ask him about Lana. He changed the subject quickly.   
  
“Did you two have fun on your deserted island?” Clark asked. Chloe had taken off with Lois a few weeks before to a small island in the Caribbean that Oliver used for a League safe house. Lois was in break-up mode but Chloe managed to convince Lois a trip to a sun-drenched beach with white sands and hot cabana-boys on Oliver’s tab was the perfect revenge. Chloe was also trying to put some well-meaning space between her and Jimmy, their latest implosion promising to be their last.   
  
Chloe nodded, joining Clark again at the counter, grabbing her purse and digging around in it. “We did. It was all very Blue Lagoon, but it’s nice to be back. A girl can only take so much rest and relaxation before she needs a good dose of hectic and harried. Ah! Here it is.” Chloe turned to face Clark, something cupped in her hand. “I brought you back something. And not something from the crummy souvenir shops from the airport either.”   
  
Clark took the little something in Chloe’s outstretched palm, his fingers brushing the soft skin as he picked the figurine up. He didn’t miss the small intake of breath when his fingers lingered briefly. Clark felt his blood pulsing in his ears. He looked back at Chloe. She’d gotten a good tan. She was normally a pretty, peachy color, but now she had a golden glint to her skin. And her hair seemed a bit more sun-kissed, shimmering in the soft evening light. “You look good, Chloe.”  
  
Chloe furrowed her brows. “Thanks, Clark,” she said with a perplexed tone. She motioned back to his hand. “What do you think of it?”  
  
Clark dragged his eyes from Chloe and looked down. It was a little doll with red eyes. Chloe moved closer and stood right beside him, peering down at it the little twig-like doll with him. Clark breathed in through his nostrils, his heightened sense of smell picking up Chloe’s spicy scent.  
  
“The locals sold it,” Chloe started giving him the history, seemingly oblivious to the effect she was having on him. Clark looked down, his eyes heating as he could see the gentle movement of her breasts as she breathed in her thin blouse. “There is a legend on one of the islands that there was this handsome native prince whose lover was a very jealous voo-doo witch and she trapped his spirit for all eternity in a little doll so she could keep him forever. It was said he was so filled with passion that he could ignite anything into flames just by looking at it and women would come for miles just to. . .” Chloe trailed off, looking up at Clark. She swallowed, watching the way Clark’s eyes roved her body. She took a deep breath and a lick of orange appeared in the center of Clark’s eyes.  
  
“Clark?” Chloe asked hesitantly.   
  
Clark met her eyes, his pupils so dilated his irises were only a thin ring of green. Chloe had reached over to run a finger along the doll. She started to withdraw her hand only to have Clark drop the doll and grab her wrist, pulling her flush against his body. All breath left Chloe’s body in one exhale and her throat closed up, allowing no words to escape. Clark circled her wrist with his large hand as his other hand settled on the indention of her waist, his fingers slowly caressing the silky material of her blouse. Chloe’s eyes were wide; she was unsure what exactly was happening or even what had happened to result in this reaction from Clark.  
  
“I really missed you while you were gone, Chlo,” Clark rumbled, his voice rolling over her like low thunder, promising one hell of a storm. Chloe shivered, hot and cold chills running up and down her spine.   
  
“We texted every day, Clark,” Chloe squeaked out.  
  
Clark licked his lips, his eyes burning into her own. Chloe quickly looked around for any red kryptonite, the only thing that could explain this shift. She could think of none. Her mind caught on the red eyes of the voo-doo, but the man who sold it to her told her it was two shards of the lava rock that was very common around that area.   
  
“It wasn’t same, Chloe,” Clark told her, bringing her still closer. He lowered his head to rub his mouth against her forehead, burying his nose in her hair and breathing in her scent. Chloe felt her knees weaken at the whiff of Clark’s own natural scent, the hay from the barn, the sunshine that clung to his skin and the lemon flavor of the soap he had used. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily through her mouth as Clark ran his lips down one side of her face, coming to rest right under her ear. By this point, his fingers had made it under her shirt and were tracing a pattern of heat and desire along the lower edge of her belly.   
  
“Why did you have to go away for so long?” Clark whispered in her ear, his voice crawling along her neck. Chloe bit her lip, catching a breathy moan before it left her tongue. Clark released her wrist and that hand soon found the other side of her stomach to trace feathery touches along the top of her trousers.  
  
“Clark,” Chloe breathed raggedly.  
  
“Yes?” Clark replied as his hands met in the back. He hooked his fingers together, trapping Chloe to him as his hands pressed the small of her back, delighting in the smoothness of her skin. Clark pulled back, staring down at Chloe. He lifted a hand, touching a finger to Chloe’s glossed lips. Her mouth opened slightly and Chloe resisted the urge to nip his hand. Clark held her in a vortex of sensuality and sensation, making her brain muddy and everything she felt heightened and crystalline. He ran his hand back, cupping her neck under her hair, a few strands getting caught in his thick fingers.  
  
“Do you know how many nights I wake up dreaming of your mouth on mine?” Clark asked, his lips just touching hers. Chloe couldn’t stop the moan that floated out. Clark smiled and laughed huskily; the male laugh that told her he had her exactly where he wanted her.   
  
“Of having your hands on me?” Clark continued, his lips brushing hers more fully. “If your tongue will taste like coffee or cinnamon?”  
  
Chloe felt as if she was burning up from the inside and Clark had only  _touched_ her. She whimpered slightly as she grabbed his shoulders through his cotton t-shirt, his own hand running up her back until he met the flimsy clasp of her bra.   
  
“Of the feel of your skin sliding against mine?” And with a twist of his fingers, Clark deftly unsnapped the little clip.  
  
Chloe growled, her body thrumming with the desire of eight years of repressed want and need. She threaded her fingers through Clark’s thick ebony hair and yanked him away from her. With heavy lids, Clark regarded her with a sexy smirk.  
  
“Clark,” Chloe snarled. “Kiss me  _now.”_  
  
“My  _pleasure,_ ” Clark said with a dark passion as he grasped Chloe behind the thighs and tossed her on the counter. Clark’s mouth fell on Chloe’s like a violent wave crashing on the soft sand. 


	2. Chapter 2

The moment Clark and Chloe’s lips met, it was as if a fire erupted in the room and the flames began to lick at each exposed inch of skin. Clark’s normally steady breaths became noticeably labored as he devoured Chloe’s mouth. His hands clutched her waist, pulling her closer to his body. Chloe lifted her hips and wrapped her legs around Clark’s waist, causing them each to moan when their bodies connected in a delicious way. Chloe wrapped her arms around Clark’s neck, tangling her fingers in his thick hair, fisting her hands in frustration as her body clamored for more, an ache throbbing deep inside her. 

Clark was just as lost. He longed for more; yearned for it; was ready to hit his knees and beg for it. Her legs sat right on his hips, her warmth teasing him in just the right place. Her hands pulled at his hair, no doubt a cause of pain for a normal man but for him it sent shots of pleasure straight down his neck to his groin. Clark, needing to feel more of Chloe, ran his hands down from her waist to knead her thighs. They tore at the others lips, attacking with no retreat. Clark swiped his tongue at her Chloe’s bottom lip. Her mouth opened without hesitation, luring Clark’s tongue instead with her own seductive dance. Her mouth was so warm and wet, making Clark feel light-headed when the two muscles began to tangle in a primal mimic.  
  
The sound of ripping reached Clark’s ears. Clark pulled back and both he and Chloe looked down. Chloe bit her lip and lifted her eyes coyly. Buttons littered the kitchen floor as Chloe had ripped Clark’s shirt open. Both regarded each other with heaving chests.   
  
“Guess I got a little hasty,” Chloe giggled, her voice sultry.  
  
“Then I guess this makes us even.” And with a flick of Clark’s wrist, Chloe’s blouse fell to the counter around her in two neat halves. Chloe’s ankles still hooked behind Clark’s back, Clark licked his lips and stared heatedly at Chloe’s breasts resting sweetly in the two lacy cups the color of bright fuchsia with black stitching. Clark reached out and fingered the hill of one breast. Chloe’s breath hitched and Clark snarled as he hardened.   
  
He smirked and leaned over her, nuzzling into her ear. With a possessive whisper, he asked, “This looks awful fancy for a working girl. Did it happen to be a souvenir from a beach boy?” The bra hung from her sides from where Clark had unclasped it already. He gathered the sides in his hands, pulling it down her arms. “Chloe?”  
  
Chloe shook her head, her hands snaking up and tracing his abs. Clark opened his mouth and took an earlobe between his teeth, gently tugging it. Chloe felt desire overflow from the pool gathering between her thighs. “Lois made me buy it. In case,” Chloe trailed off, her fingers spreading out over Clark’s chiseled pecs.  
  
“In case of  _what?”_  Clark demanded almost petulantly, reaching a big palm up to cover a breast.  
  
_“Oooh,”_ Chloe whimpered, her nails turning downward, scratching down Clark’s stomach, making him hiss. “In case of a beach boy.”  
  
Clark pulled back, holding Chloe’s wrist tightly. “Was there?”  
  
Chloe smiled wickedly, her eyes wide and round with innocence. “Was there  _what?”_  
  
Clark ground his teeth. He ripped the bra off Chloe, tearing it to pieces as he glowered at the little blonde on his counter. “You know  _what.”_  
  
Chloe licked her lips, leaning back, giving Clark a wondrous view of her perfectly rounded breasts with rosebud nipples in the center. She unhooked her ankles, raising a barefoot to playfully nudge Clark on the inside of his thigh. “Why, Clark?  _Jealous?”_  
  
Clark let the lacy pieces of Chloe’s bra fall to the floor, the under-wire clanging on the wood. Chloe watched the lace flutter in the air. She should be very angry right now. The blouse and bra were good quality and had cost her a pretty penny but she couldn’t summon up the strength. Not with Clark hovering between her legs with a torn shirt. Not with Clark looking at her as if she was Thanksgiving dinner and he hadn’t eaten in years. She took as steadying breath as Clark stepped closer to her. He lifted a hand and touched the tip of her nose. He ran it down, stopping at her pebbled nipple.  
  
“Jealous?” Clark asked. “The next man who touches you will have to walk around with no arms.”  
  
Chloe opened her mouth to laugh but instead gasped in pleasured surprised as Clark’s dark head swooped and her breast was caught in his mouth. Clark teased her until she was wound as tight as a string. He then moved to its mate. Chloe groaned, digging her fingers into his scalp, pulling him closer, whimpering so much even she got annoyed.   
  
Finally, Clark raised his head only to have himself pulled back down as Chloe kissed him heatedly. Clark melted, hunching his shoulders so he could gather Chloe closer. The moment her bare chest touched his Clark saw stars. He couldn’t understand why he’d never felt this before. Her skin was soft, her hair was golden, her body was made for sex and her mouth… Her mouth could work wonders even Clark had never dreamed of. Part of him wondered what had changed. Maybe the thought of her and a trashy beach boy on a deserted island really got to him. Maybe it was just their time. No matter what it was, Clark couldn’t stop it and didn’t want to. He pressed his hands firmly to her back, making sure she was flush against his body.   
  
It wasn’t enough. He needed more. He needed more of  _her_. As if she could read his mind, Chloe tore her mouth from his, one word on her lips.  
  
_“More.”_  
  
Clark nodded, feeling as if he was about to explode if he didn’t touch her fully. Chloe lifted her head and began nibbling his jaw, making it hard for Clark to concentrate on what he wanted to do. Her tongue created sizzling paths of moisture along his strong neck as her hardened nipples dragged his bare chest. Suddenly, Clark felt a ragged growl erupt from him. A little hand was pressed to the outline of him in his jeans. Gritting his teeth and with a might of steel, Clark kept his mind focused. With slightly shaking hands, Clark’s fingers found the side zipper on Chloe’s trousers. He fumbled a second before giving in and ripping them.  
  
_“Clark!”_ Chloe cried in anger, not able to ignore the destruction of her entire outfit. “I don’t care-“  
  
Clark lifted her and dragged the remainder of her pants from her body, ridding her of matching panties in one movement. Chloe’s bare ass hit the counter, shutting her up immediately. Clark shrugged out of his shirt and began to unbuckle his belt. Chloe watched him with wide eyes, it not being real until this very moment. She swallowed, knowing this would change everything.   
  
She jumped off the counter, laying a hand on top of Clark’s. Clark looked down, their eyes meeting before she lowered her attention to his jeans. He let his hands fall down to his sides, watching Chloe slowing undo his belt and pull it from his belt loops. It hit the floor with a clatter. Clark reached out and ran his hands through Chloe’s hair, unable to keep his hands from her. She moved the button through the hole. Chloe lifted her head. Clark pressed his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly as they pulled his zipper down together. Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of both his jeans and boxers, Clark pushed them down, never letting Chloe’s mouth slip away.  
  
The jeans hit the floor with a quiet thump. Both pulled back and looked at each other, their eyes taking in the others naked bodies.  
  
Chloe smiled knowingly. She had fantasized about what Clark’s Greek deity body probably looked like and she was correct in every dimension and scale. His thick neck branched out to form broad shoulders Atlas himself would be envious of. His torso was toned and ripped, flowing down from perfectly formed pectorals and ending with the slight flare of his hips. Clark stood on legs thick as tree trunks, wiry black hair coating his legs beneath the knee. The one thing that defied even Chloe’s over-active imagination was  _him._ Chloe swallowed as she stared wide eyed at what stood proudly between Clark’s legs. Despite her keening desire for him, Chloe trembled at the thought of what sex with Clark would actually entail. Chloe lifted her eyes, searching Clark’s face and giggled nervously. He looked as if he was a kid in a candy store.  
  
Clark had always admired the way Chloe could fill out her clothes. He never expected for her to be actually dainty looking, though. Without clothes or her sometimes stinging sarcasm, she looked so small. Clark licked his lips, his mouth feeling dry. He took a few steps toward her, almost shocked by how much he towered over her. She was tinier than Lana. She had no tan lines from her recent vacation which excited him. He pictured Chloe laying nude on some private beach, letting the sun kiss her skin. Her breasts were heavy but the perfect shape for his hands and Clark could tell Chloe worked to keep her back toned. He reached out and took her waist in his hands, marveling that his fingers almost met. Her hips were sexily wide, a useful tool meant for men and only men. Only  _me,_ Clark quickly thought possessively. Her legs were slender but athletic, ending in small little feet that reminded Clark of a fairy. She was small where he was big, loud where he was quiet. They were polar opposites but he wanted her all the same. Even with as small as she was, Clark felt she was made for him.  
  
Sliding his hands up from her waist, Clark stopped his hands right under her breasts. Turning his palms upward, he pressed his hands to her, causing Chloe to tremble visibly. She opened her eyes, heat and impatience swirling in the darkening green. Surging up on her toes, Chloe grabbed Clark behind the neck and mashed their mouths together. Her tongue slithered into his mouth as she reached around, squeezing one of his cheeks. Heat shot straight to Clark’s crotch. None too carefully, Clark gathered up Chloe in his arm, groaning happily when their skin finally fused together. He backed her up to the counter once more, lifting her back to her original place.   
  
“Clark, what are you doing?” Chloe asked, a little dazed as he nudged her thighs apart.  
  
“What does it look like I am doing?” Clark replied huskily, his mouth falling on her neck, suckling her skin roughly.  
  
Chloe pushed his questing hands away. “Clark! The backdoor is still open and its broad daylight! I can’t believe that I am the one who is-“  
  
“Then don’t.” Clark said brusquely as he pulled her thighs apart, hooking one leg on his hip.  
  
“Clark, anyone could –  _Sh*t!”_ Chloe ended with gritted teeth as Clark found his destination.  
  
_“Hell…”_ Clark groaned.  
  
Chloe gnashed her teeth as a pleasure so close to pain made her see stars behind her lids. She fell forward onto Clark’s shoulder, burying her face in the crook of his neck to hide the tears of ecstasy she was already experiencing at his touch.   
  
“Chloe, you with me?” Clark asked with concern.  
  
Chloe nodded, afraid to open her mouth in case she told Clark she would be his slave if he would always make her feel this way.  
  
“Okay, um…” Clark stammered.  
  
Chloe felt the urge to laugh. It seemed he was back to his awkward self, like the switch to sex god extraordinaire had never happened. Chloe took a deep breath. “Clark, just… go.”  
  
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said quietly.   
  
Chloe sat up, biting her lip as every move she made caused her body to writhe with pleasure. She leaned back, spreading herself as much as she could while hooking both legs behind him at her ankles. Propping herself up on her elbows, she watched Clark watch her as she repositioned. She knew she’d found the right spot when both of them hissed. Chloe motioned for Clark to lean over her. He supported his weight on his hands on either side of her head.   
  
Chloe took a deep breath. “Clark, you’re going to have to go. I wasn’t expecting you to be so…”  
  
“Well endowed?” Clark supplied with a cheeky grin.  
  
“That would be an understatement, but yes,” Chloe replied, caressing his chest. “I just may need a few moments.”  
  
Clark looked down at her seriously. At the back of her mind, Chloe was surprised Clark was so willing to go this last step given his physical insecurities. It was a question that would haunt her for weeks to come.  
  
“Are you sure?” Clark asked.  
  
Chloe wondered why he was asking now when he was basically poised and ready, halfway home, as it were. Chloe knew she would never be ready for the implications this would bring, but her body had been ready for Clark Kent since she hit puberty. Nothing was stopping her now.   
  
Chloe wrapped her arms around Clark’s back, thrusting just enough to watch Clark’s eyes go back in his head. When he met her stare again, Chloe looked him straight in the eye and nodded.   
  
With a tawdry grin she said, “Plow me, Farmboy.”


	3. Chapter 3

_“Plow me, Farmboy.”_  
  
The crudeness of Chloe’s statement was undermined by giggles which soon turned to pleasured moans as Clark did just that. With deep thrusts, Clark pinned Chloe to the counter, each of them lost in the nirvana created by their joined bodies. Clark gritted his teeth against the need to lose himself inside the woman underneath him as she writhed at his touch.   
  
Chloe pulled herself up, unable to do anything but kiss Clark’s neck and shoulders as he took her on the ride of her life. The coil of desire and pleasure inside her was tightening, spreading white tinged heat to her nerve endings. She curled her fingers into Clark’s back, her toes curling inward as she chanted in Clark’s ear. Her warm breath tickled the shell of Clark’s ear, causing him to growl as he renewed his efforts.   
  
Clark’s muscles bunched as he supported his weight on his arms and legs, careful, even in the heat of passion, not to crush Chloe. Chloe leaned back and Clark pressed his lips along her collarbone. Every touch and sound was heightened, even for him. Chloe’s breathy moans were his soundtrack; the speedy pulse of her blood his beat to keep time to. Attuned to every signal of her body, he caught her muscles tightening. He shifted, Chloe crying out at the new pattern of his hips as the sharp edges of an orgasm burst out from her center; wracking her body in waves as she trembled, Clark’s name on her lips as a whisper of awe. She tangled her hand in his hair, tugging greatly as her limbs shook from the force of her climax.   
  
Chloe refused to go limp although every bone in her body felt like jello. She had laid awake nights picturing this moment. Latching onto Clark’s biceps, she attached her mouth to his jaw, licking his salty skin like it was a lollipop. She could feel Clark’s jaw clench under her tongue. She moved up to his ear, putting her mouth right next to his ear.  
  
“Come on, Clark. Don’t leave a girl hanging.”  
  
 _“Chloe,”_ Clark groaned, his hands gripping the wood of the counter. He heard it splinter.   
  
Chloe opened her mouth, her tongue slithering out to run along the outline of Clark’s ear, causing him to topple over the edge. He stiffened, catching Chloe and holding tight as he shook with the intensity of the moment. Chloe wrapped herself around Clark, running her hand soothingly up and down his spine. Clark buried his face in Chloe’s neck, holding her close as he came down with deep breaths. He strong legs felt as if they were about to buckle and Clark was amazed how pleasure could turn his tall form to a quivering mass. Each trembled in the aftershocks, their chests pressing together as they fought to catch their breath. Chloe held Clark tenderly, somewhat surprised by how shaken he seemed. Clark in turn, brought Chloe closer still, longing to meld her body to his.  
  
“Clark?” Chloe asked quietly. Clark had yet to lift his head from her neck. He nodded wordlessly. “Maybe we could close the door now?”  
  
Clark took a deep breath before pulling away from Chloe slowly, enjoying how the slightest movement after their tryst caused her to crying softly. He looked down at her, a Cheshire cat grin spreading across his handsome face. He stepped away from Chloe, enjoying the small whimper she gave. With wide eyes, Chloe watched Clark walk to the door and push it to in all his natural glory. He turned back to her, catching her gaze. He rolled his shoulders cockily.   
  
“Looks like your strength isn’t the only ability affected by the sun,” Chloe observed with interest.  
  
Clark smirked closing the distance between them once more. He looked down, Chloe’s curves coated in a sweaty sheen with his still-erect shaft framed by her thighs. “One more benefit to being Kryptonian.”  
  
Chloe laughed, pushing at Clark’s chest lightly. She lowered her eyes, swiping at her wayward hair. “Well,” she began, trying to keep the awkwardness from her voice. “I think it’s time I get going. Work comes awfully early in the morning.”  
  
“It’s not the only thing that  _comes_ in the morning,” Clark stated, arching a brow.  
  
Chloe opened her mouth, not sure what to say. They had just had sex, raw, naked sex on his kitchen counter with the backdoor wide open for all of creation to possibly see and Clark was making thinly veiled innuendos? As many times as Chloe had dreamt this moment, this was not really how she saw it. The sex was great but even in all her fantasies it was always by accident and quickly pushed away. Even in her deepest desires reality always lurked.   
  
Chloe tried again. “You know, Clark, I think we need to take a step back and examine what just happened here. I mean, it was great-“  
  
“And  _I_ think,” Clark spoke over Chloe, his hands threading through her hair to run the length of her body and settle on her thighs. “We should move the party upstairs.”  
  
Seconds later, Chloe was staring up at a randy Kryptonian poised between her thighs with a soft mattress at her back.  
  
“Ready for second helpings?” Clark asked as he lowered himself, brushing her where she’d began to ache for him again.  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes with a grin. “Who am I to deny a healthy appetite?”  
  


~ ~ ~

“Gawd, you smell incredible.”  
  
Chloe snorted, pushing Clark’s nose out of her ear. “I smell like sweat.”  
  
“Then you should always smell like sweat because it’s irresistible,” Clark mumbled, burying his nose in her hair.  
  
“Yeah?” Chloe said over her shoulder as Clark spooned her from behind, his thick arm trapping her against him at her waist. “Well, I think you are going to say anything that will get you laid again.”  
  
“And again and again and again,” Clark quipped from behind her, his hand turning up to knead her breast.  
  
Chloe groaned and not from desire this time. “Clark! Gah, you’re like the Energizer Bunny.”  
  
“Because I keep going and going and going,” Clark husked in a voice that had now proven three times to be her undoing. A knee carefully nudged Chloe’s thighs apart.  
  
“Clark!” Chloe exclaimed, scrambling away from him with a squeal. She turned over, facing him. “Your stamina has proved to be very breath-taking and  _very, very, very_ tempting but I cannot go through the rest of the week like I spent twelve hours on a bull!”  
  
“A bull, huh? I thought I was a stallion?” Clark questioned with that smirk he’d worn since the kitchen.  
  
Chloe pressed her face into a pillow with a little bit of embarrassment as Clark repeated words spoken in passion. She felt Clark lunge for her. “No!” She squealed happily, trying to evade him. Clark caught her easily, hauling her to him. They tussled for a short time, the room filling with laughter as sheets and pillows were knocked from the bed. Chloe ended up once more on her back, her wrists held gently above her head in one of Clark’s hands. He ran his other hand up and down her belly, getting lower with each swipe. Chloe continued to wiggle, warring with the need for a rest from his sweet torture or the need to let Clark take her as many times as he wanted. He looked down into her eyes as he loomed above her.  
  
“How about we compromise?”  
  
Chloe squinted her eyes, wondering what Clark was trying to sell her.   
  
“You ride me for a little bit and I’ll let you rest?”  
  
“Oh,  _really?”_ Chloe laughed. “ _You’ll_ let  _me_ , huh? That ain’t how it works, cowboy.”  
  
“I bet I can change your mind,” Clark said as he lowered his body, making sure he pressed her just the way he’d quickly learned she liked.  
  
Chloe moaned, her body opening to welcome Clark’s seeking shaft. Her moan soon turned to a mew of slight discomfort. Clark halted. He pulled away, flipping them over so Chloe was draped across him like a blanket.  
  
“Maybe you do need some rest,” Clark admitted sheepishly, pressing a tender kiss to her temple.  
  
Chloe smiled, settling down, pillowing her head on Clark’s chest. “Not all of us are demi-sex-gods.”  
  
Clark reached down with a long arm and pulled up a pillow, stuffing it behind his head. A sheet soon followed, settling over them. Chloe made to scoot off him. Clark made a sound of protest, holding her tight. “I like the feel of you.”  
  
“Okay,” Chloe said as she bit her lip, her chin on his chest as she looked at him. Clark leaned up, catching Chloe’s lips in a tender kiss, a hand cupping the back of her head. He pulled away, laying his head back on the pillow. Chloe cocked a brow. “Get your saddle handy because when you wake up I am taking you for the ride of your life.”  
  
“I’ve got my saddle if you’ve got your spurs,” Clark purred.  
  
Chloe lifted her head, grinning at Clark’s heavy lids. He may not admit it, but he needed rest, too. Kissing his chest, Chloe nuzzled against Clark’s warmth, enjoying the way Clark hugged her waist with one arm, the other picking up her hand to twine their fingers together. Not able to stop the contented feeling that bloomed in her belly, Chloe was lulled to sleep by the steady drumming of Clark’s heartbeat.


	4. Chapter 4

Something woke Clark deep in the night. He came awake with a start. His body jerked just enough that Chloe murmured in her sleep. He gazed down at the small woman who was still stretched out across his chest. Sharpening his hearing quickly, Clark gleaned nothing from the house. He didn’t know what woke him but whatever it was posed no threat to him or Chloe. He laid his head back, crinkling his brows. What in the world had possessed him to put  _those_  kinds of moves on Chloe? Not that he regretted it, Clark thought quickly. It just sort of came out of the blue. He gazed at her in the moonlight that was waning in through the window. Her blonde hair was rumbled and her bare back rose gently with each breath. Clark lifted a hand and placed it at the small of her back. No, Clark definitely didn’t regret what had happened. Not even after he spied a small puddle of drool forming on his chest from Chloe’s partially open mouth. He smiled tenderly.  
  
He knew his feelings had been growing stronger for Chloe for weeks now. It was like a veil had been ripped from Clark’s eyes when Lana left. One night, he looked at up from the silent kitchen table where he was balancing the farm accounts and saw Chloe curled up on the couch, reading glasses perched on her nose as she read ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ and he knew. He’d been searching for years now for something with Lana he already had with someone else. It all made sense why every time with Lana felt empty; an imitation of something real. He remembered he and Chloe had been fighting, arguing over her using her ability to help people and her continued presence as Watchtower for Oliver’s League of heroes. Instead of prancing off like Lana always did, Chloe very calmly told him that she was tired of arguing and they would table it for now. She then went into the house. Clark waited for her to come out in a huff with her purse and keys but she didn’t. He followed a few minutes later and found her seated on the couch, remote in hand and pointing at the TV. She looked up at him with an arched brow.  
  
“Come on. I have the new Bruce Willis movie you wanted to see. And just so you know, I hate these movies but I know you like them so you better make me lots of popcorn,” Chloe said with a mock frown.  
  
Clark made the popcorn and then joined Chloe on the sofa. It seemed as if their fight had never happened. Chloe got caught up in the movie and Clark knew she secretly relished all the explosions and fists to the mouths. After the movie was over, Clark moved to balance the accounts and Chloe pulled out a book, the talk continuing here and there sporadically. Lana would have sulked and pouted all evening, gone to bed early, making Clark feel like a stranger in his own home. But there was Chloe, sitting on his couch reading as if there was nothing ever said in anger between them.  
  
After that night, things had changed for Clark. He knew he’d always had feelings for Chloe but never had they been so strong. And they only grew stronger as Clark and Chloe leaned on each other over the past year. He ran his hand up her back and touched her hair, his fingers getting lost in the silkiness. She was so strong. She’d been fired from the Planet by Lex and hardly missed a beat. She threw herself into Isis and worked with Oliver, helping him get the group off the ground until she was reinstated at the Planet a few months after being fired by the stipulations of Lionel Luthor’s will. She was there for him when Lana left. She pulled Lois through her final break up with Oliver while remaining neutral between both Lois and Oliver and him and Lana. It was her relationship with Jimmy that had suffered the brunt of it. She had given up the only thing in her life that was truly hers for the others. She was determined, stubborn and exasperating. She challenged everyone she met, Clark the most. She pushed him to be more, to expect more of himself and others around him, including her. She was always at his side, backing him up when he needed it, lending him her strength when he felt his was about to crack. She was everything he ever needed with more left over.   
  
Lana had always wanted to make him forget he was different, thinking that was what he needed. Chloe always reminded him he was different and that was what made him who he was but that wasn’t  _all_  he was.  
  
This was not something Clark was just coming to; it was something he had known since that night. Chloe had been with Jimmy, however. There was nothing Clark could do but fall more in love with her day by day and suffer in silence. And even though she’d broken up Jimmy, Clark didn’t want to move in immediately. He didn’t know if Chloe had feelings for him any longer, although, judging from tonight, she did. Clark grinned. He also wanted to give her time. He wanted her to be over Jimmy and he wanted her to know he was over Lana. He had planned to move slowly when Chloe returned from vacation. He even had made a plan! He had planned to do ‘friend’ things; their movie nights, coffee runs and spending a day at Metropolis’ Planetarium, a favorite place for both of them. Then he would subtly segue to more romantic outings, maybe even stealing a kiss or two, get them mid-way into relationship territory before either of them could tuck tail and run. Instead, he’d somehow maneuvered them straight into bed.   
  
And the fact that they’d fallen into bed without having “the talk” was not the only thing that worried him. Clark knew he moved slowly. It was true, Clark had missed Chloe while she’d been gone but to attack her in the kitchen to the point of making love on the  _counter?_ With the backdoor open, no less.Clark shook his head. What had come over him? And the blatant disregard for Chloe’s safety! Playing their encounter in his mind, he remembered the moment right before he lost himself in Chloe’s body. He had some repairs to do. What if that had been Chloe’s arm or leg or even worse, her neck? What would he have done? The point was moot now. He’d grabbed onto the wood and splintered it, but the thought of what he might have done to this fragile woman laying atop him right now caused terror to wrap around his heart.   
  
The fact was he knew the lack of physical intimacy had bothered Lana. She didn’t understand how Bizarro had been able to make love to her when Clark still refused to. She just couldn’t grasp the fact that the sun weakened Bizarro while it strengthened Clark. Bizarro was able to do things that Clark couldn’t while Clark could do things Bizarro could not. Having a physical relationship with Lana was one of those things Clark did not trust himself to do. That was not something he wanted to experience with Chloe. She’d already made it clear she believed sex with a non-powered person was something Clark could achieve with practice. Clark stifled a laugh. He could see himself “practicing” with Chloe but had never had the guts to broach the subject with Lana. Chloe, he knew from experience, had the patience of a saint. She would not get annoyed with him if he wanted to take a step back. So, the fact that he completely lost control and just went for it this afternoon and 3 subsequent times afterward made Clark a little wary. Or it could be that Chloe awakened a sexual part in him he’d never known about. Looking at her small, compact body, the sheet dipping to reveal a shapely cheek Clark believed it. He could feel himself beginning to pulse with want for her even though he’d just been giving himself a mental reprimand.  
  
Clark wrestled with the thought of waking Chloe up but was reminded of her small noise of discomfort earlier. He decided against it. A ravenous grin spread from cheek to cheek. There was the promise of morning and that was only a few hours away. Clark bent a knee, it spearing between Chloe’s thighs and moving her upward a little. Closing his eyes, Clark ran his fingers up and down repeatedly on the line of Chloe’s spine; the smooth skin of neck to the dip between her cheeks; until sleep claimed him again.  
  


~ ~ ~

Chloe closed her mouth, clucking her tongue a few times to shake the dryness of sleep. She lifted her head and caught sight of the puddle of drool. Quickly, she yanked the sheet and wiped Clark’s bare chest, praying he was still asleep and would never know. She looked at him quickly before putting her head down and stretching her neck. She closed her eyes and groaned. She looked back up, meeting Clark’s open and alert eyes.   
  
“Good morning,” Clark purred.  
  
Chloe screwed up her face. “You  _were_  the one who wanted me to sleep on you.”  
  
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Clark said gracefully.  
  
“How long have you been awake?” Chloe asked.  
  
Clark moved a little. “Only a little bit.”  
  
“You know, it’s quite creepy to watch someone while they sleep,” Chloe spat, trying to cover the humiliation of drooling all over him.  
  
“I have to disagree,” Clark replied, Chloe becoming aware of his fingers feathering up the sides of her thighs. “You make the cutest noises while sleeping. These little half-snorts-“  
  
“I do not!” Chloe exclaimed, reaching up to smack his chest.  
  
“And little drops of drool-“  
  
“You  _did_  see!” Chloe cried, making to push off him.  
  
Clark’s arms tightened. “Oh no, you don’t! You promised me something this morning and it’s time to pay up. And yes, I  _did_  see and I thought it was sexier than hell.”  
  
“Now I know you  _really_ just want to get laid! First sweat and now drool! If you’re looking to smooth talk me back into bed you’ve just killed the mood,” Chloe informed him as she wiggled to get away.   
  
“If you really want to get out this bed you are going to have to stop moving like that, ma’am,” Clark drawled, putting on rather convincing cowboy accent.  
  
Chloe halted, her eyes bulging.  _“Still?”_  
  
Clark nodded.   
  
“Clark, it’s been over four hours! We need to-“  
  
“Chloe, it’s not a result of V*agra. I don’t think the four hour rule applies to me,” Clark responded.  
  
“But, Clark, the cause of an erection-“  
  
“Oh, I know the cause of the erection,” Clark growled as he rolled them over, Chloe splayed under him as he began kissing her intently.  
  
“But Clark,” she gasped as his lips left hers. “All that blood-“   
  
Clark kissed her, spearing his tongue into her mouth, meaning business. Chloe moaned and melted, wrapping her limbs around his body. He pressed his hips downward, causing Chloe to whimper into his open mouth. Clark reached around, cupping her from behind, pressing her upward as his hips delved down again. Chloe let loose a guttural moan, releasing Clark’s mouth to pant next to his ear.  
  
“There is a lot of blood that causes an erection, if it is located in one spot too long it can cause all sorts of problems!” Chloe finally got out.  
  
“Fine!” Clark shouted. “You wanna make sure my junk is all nice and healthy? Here ya go!” Clark vaulted back on his haunches, sweeping the sheets from them, giving Chloe a bird’s eye view of his powerful erection which he knew had deflated a tiny bit during the night but had surged back to life the moment Chloe began moving around in her sleep.  
  
Chloe’s eyes widened and she swallowed. Even after the many times they’d already made love the sight of it was still breath-taking. Chloe had always overheard bathroom talk of the women in the Planet talking about the size of the equipment. Chloe had been a firm believer it wasn’t about the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean. That was before last night. It sure was a hell of a lot more fun taking a yacht to sea rather than a dinghy.  
  
Clark took a deep breath. He’d never had a woman look at him like that before. Lana had seen him but she would always blush and cut her eyes quickly, smiling shyly. Chloe stared at him, her eyes bright with excitement. Her tongue came out and swiped at her lips, causing Clark to groan as he realized Chloe would get this look in her eye right before she’d devour an ice cream cone.  
  
He came down on his knees, leaning forward.   
  
Suddenly, a loud pitched beeping began and Chloe turned her head. Her eyes bulged for a completely different reason.  
  
“It’s seven o’clock and I have to be at work in an hour!” She shrieked.  
  
Clark made to catch her in his arms but she flew off the bed, running to his closet and yanking out a shirt and some pants.  
  
“Those might be a little big on ya, Chlo,” Clark observed, watching her naked form with delight as he laid back to recline against the headboard.  
  
Chloe turned to him, annoyance on her face. “They’re not for me. They’re for you.” She threw them on his head. “Hurry up and get dressed. I need you to be my speed-shuttle today. Clark,  _come on!”_  
  
He pulled the clothes off to find the room empty. “Chloe!” He got off the bed, still ignoring the clothes. He walked out of his room and saw the door of his mom’s room open. Chloe emerged, struggling into some loose sweat pants with a t-shirt pulled over her head. She looked up and saw Clark still standing nude in his doorway.  
  
“Clark! I’m serious! Get dressed!” Chloe said, trying to shoo him back into his room.  
  
“But-“ Clark started. He had something he wanted to accomplish this morning. Okay,  _two_ things. “Don’t you want some breakfast or-“  
  
Chloe put her hands on his ribcage and pushed him back into his room. Clark’s knees hit his bed and he sat down. Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck before lowering her head and kissing him passionately. Clark lifted his hands, clutching her waist and bringing her closer as she stood between his thighs. She lifted her head. “I’m not running out on you like a cheap date. I just have got to get to work. We can talk later, okay?”  
  
Clark tightened his jaw. “Okay,” he sighed. Chloe smiled and began to move away only to be yanked back, Clark kneading her behind through her pants. Chloe bit her bottom lip. “You  _owe_ me. And I intend to collect.”  
  
“I would  _never_ welch on a promise,” Chloe teased. She kissed him once more. “Now, come on! For the fastest man alive you sure move like the tortoise.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe made it to work with five minutes to spare. Clark stopped right beside the dumpsters behind the building. Chloe pressed a hand to her stomach as it roiled. The Kent Express and the smell of week old garbage did not go well with her empty tummy. She scrambled down from Clark’s arms and stepped away, waving a hand in front of her face. She turned and smiled.   
  
“Thanks for the lift, Clark,” Chloe said. “I’ll see you later.” She reached out to pat his arm as she moved past him.   
  
Clark grabbed hold and swung her back, bringing flush against him. Chloe looked up at him. Clark was staring down into her eyes, his hands caressing her neck. “You forgot something,” he whispered.  
  
Chloe closed her eyes as Clark lowered his head and kissed her. His lips were soft against hers and it was chaste, making her knees go weak. Clark pulled back and Chloe blinked rapidly. She giggled nervously. During the night they shared Clark had kissed her like he wanted to crawl inside her but this was the kiss made her knees go weak. Chloe shook her head.   
  
“I’ll, um,” Chloe stumbled.  
  
“I’ll see you later.  _Tonight,”_  Clark said as he released Chloe and put his hands in his pockets.   
  
Chloe hitched her purse higher on her shoulder and walked around the corner, working hard to stay up on her heels. Before disappearing beside the wall, she turned back. Clark still stood there. He lifted a hand. Chloe waved back, wondering what the hell was going on. With quick steps, she made it to the lobby of the Planet and headed straight for the ladies room. She locked the door behind her, feeling a tiny bit of guilt at occupying the handicapped bathroom, but she needed the privacy at the moment. Facing the mirror, she groaned. She hadn’t had the time to shower or do anything with her hair. All she’d had time for was to throw on some clothes and brush her teeth. She needed to make herself appear normal instead of the picture she made now; a woman who had been thoroughly ravished all night long. Chloe smiled at herself in the mirror. This was what sexually satisfied looked like. Her phone went off and she grabbed it. The uneasy feeling returned. Lois. Lois would spot this a mile away.   
  
Working fast, Chloe took a comb to her hair and brushed it until it gleamed. She made a face. She hated not being able to shower. To hide the horrendous cowlicks she was having, she pulled the front of her hair back and fastened it in the back with a barrette she’d managed to grab. It wasn’t the best but it did the trick. She rubbed her face down with a make-up remover towelette she kept with her to give a fresh look before reapplying a small amount of concealer beneath her eyes and other places. A dose of blush and a swipe of mascara and she was done. She looked at her job in the mirror. Her skin glowed. She knew that had nothing to do with Cover Girl and everything to do with Clark Kent. She applied some lip gloss and a mist of body spray.  
  
“That’s as good as it’s gonna get.” She glanced at her watch. Eight-oh-three. Well, she was in the building. Stuffing her make-up back in her purse, she left the bathroom and sailed down the steps to the basement. She greeted people like normal, ignoring the absurd inkling she was having that everyone knew what she’d done last night. Chloe felt a flush when she realized she’d been sexually active with a guy who worked  _here_ for over a year and everyone knew about that! Only this time, she felt as if she had a sign on her forehead; flashing neon letters reading GREAT SEX at everyone who passed her. Making it to her desk with a sigh of relief, she sat down and powered up her computer.  
  
“So.”  
  
Chloe jumped. She looked across her desk at her cousin who had literally materialized out of thin air.   
  
“Morning, Lois,” she said with a big smile.   
  
“Yeah,” Lois replied, leaning back in her chair. “About that.”  
  
“About what?” Chloe asked innocently.  
  
Lois smiled sweetly. “Don’t give me that, cuz. You know what. You didn’t come home last night.”  
  
Chloe shrugged. “Clark and I had dinner and then stayed up late talking. I fell asleep on the couch.” Chloe hated lying to Lois, but she wasn’t ready to own up to what had happened with her and Clark and its many, many possible meanings.  
  
Lois nodded. She busied her hands. “What did you two have for dinner?”  
  
Chloe’s mind raced. Lois knew she’d been going over there for dinner, had seen the groceries that would equal an actual meal. Chloe opened her mouth. “We had…”  
  
“Each other?” Lois supplied with a devilish grin.  
  
“No!” Chloe exclaimed. “Why would you think that?” Chloe rose from her chair and grabbed up her finished article to turn in. Lois jumped up and followed her.  
  
“Please, Chloe! No one can hide the major case of bed-head you’ve got going on,” Lois responded in a hissed whisper, right behind Chloe.  
  
Chloe spun, her hand going to the back of her head.  _“Is it that bad?”_  
  
“So you  _do_ know you have bed-head! Which means you  _did_ something to  _get_ bed head!” Lois crowed.  
  
Chloe glared at her. “I thought you knew.”  
  
Lois laughed before reaching out and squeezing Chloe’s hand. “I had an idea. Go on, get your purse. I think we need a drink.”  
  


~ ~ ~

Lois returned to the little table by the window they had chosen when they walked in. She set the tall cappuccino in front of Chloe.   
  
“Too bad they can’t make these Irish,” Lois said as she sat down opposite of Chloe. She poured in some sweetener and stirred before looking at Chloe. “You gonna make this easy or am I going to have to torture it out of you?”   
  
Chloe took a deep breath and took a sip of the coffee to steady her nerves. “Where do you want me to begin?”  
  
Lois arched a brow. “How about what led up to the missing link making sweet and nasty love to my baby cousin?”  
  
“Lois!” Chloe exclaimed with a blush. She rolled her eyes. She and Lois had never had problems discussing sex in the most graphic and anatomically correct terms, but this was different. This was almost too sacred to be dressed down like that.   
  
“What? What do you prefer? Bumping uglies? Doing the nasty? Hiding the salami? I got about a billion,” Lois stated with an unapologetic smile.   
  
“Why don’t we just stick with slept together for all intents and purposes right now,” Chloe clarified.  
  
Lois pouted. “Fine, take all the fun out of this conversation. Plus, how much sleeping was actually involved, Chlo?”  
  
 _“You really think I plan on letting you sleep, Chlo?” Clark said as his hand crept up her inner thigh. Chloe shivered underneath him._  
  
“Chloe?”  
  
Chloe shook her head and met Lois’ bemused stare. “That good, huh?”  
  
“What?” Chloe asked.  
  
“I asked if it was good. Judging by the way you just zoned I’m guessing it was pretty fan-f*cking-tastic. Details, Chloe, details! And I’ll try to keep my revulsion that it was Smallville to myself,” Lois replied.   
  
“Well, I went over to have dinner with him. I told you about the text I’d gotten from Martha asking me to go check on him and to make sure the both of us had a  _real_ meal instead of junk food and coffee. He was helping me put up groceries and then suddenly we were…” Chloe trailed off.   
  
“You were…?”  
  
Chloe prepared herself for Lois’ reaction. “We were doing it on the kitchen counter.”  
  
 _“The kitchen counter?”_  Lois repeated with a shrill. “I said that a little too loudly,” Lois whispered. Chloe buried her face in her hands as other patrons jumped and turned their gazes upon the young women in the corner of the small pastry shop.   
  
“We’re having a private conversation. Do you mind? Thank you,” Lois said to the room at large, causing Chloe to snort from behind her hands. Chloe lowered her hands and shook her head at Lois. Lois smiled an apology. “Sorry, it’s just… I eat there sometimes!  _Ew!”_  
  
Chloe shrugged. “I have no idea what came over us. Well, Clark actually. I’ve had a number of fantasies, some involving that kitchen counter, but Clark came out of nowhere.”  
  
“Did he instigate it?”  
  
Chloe nodded. “That’s what’s weird. Right after I gave him the voo-doo doll we bought from the peddler at the street fair in Barbuda he went all hormonal.”  
  
“What did he say this morning?”  
  
“I didn’t think he was going to let me go to work. We didn’t really talk about what happened.”  
  
“Chloe, you have to. You know that, right?” Lois asked.  
  
“Yes. I’m going over to the farm after work this evening. It was a mistake anyway,” Chloe said with an air of finality.  
  
“Why do you say that? Did you not want to sleep with him?”  
  
“It’s not that, Lois. I’m attracted to Clark. A blind rooster can see that. I gave into my desires and Clark was probably missing Lana. It didn’t mean anything,” Chloe told her.  
  
“Chloe, you don’t know that. You are already deciding how things went down and you haven’t even talked to Clark. He may have really wanted this to happen,” Lois pointed out.  
  
“Lois, Clark is not the kind of guy who jumps into bed with someone.”  
  
“And I don’t think you can qualify eight years of friendship and several missed chances as ‘jumping into bed’, Chloe,” Lois responded.   
  
“He was rebounding. I was rebounding. We used each other and I don’t want that to get confusing.”  
  
“Sounds like you plan on doing this again.”  
  
“No, I do not plan on sleeping with Clark again. I just don’t want things to be awkward and knowing Clark, he’s already made it as awkward as he can all by himself.”  
  
“You got that right,” Lois agreed. “I don’t know about the rebound, though. You may be surprised, Chloe.”  
  
“Why do you say that?”  
  
“Chloe, I know you are not as observant as you normally are when it comes to Clark Kent. You’ve been completely missing the looks he’s been shooting your way these past couple of months. Honey, if he were Cupid, he’d already have his arrow buried in your ass.”  
  
“Nice imagery, Lois,” Chloe dead-panned.   
  
“All I am saying is that I see something you don’t. I have a feeling this random night of passion wasn’t all that random. And I think you need to give Clark a chance to tell you how  _he_ feels before you throw up the ‘Detour’ sign.”  
  


~ ~ ~

_Clark walked back into his room and stopped, looking at the sight on his bed. He leaned against the doorframe and took in the woman there. Chloe was on her stomach, the sheets once again on the floor in a crumpled heap. She was leaning up on her elbows, flipping through a John Deere catalog he had been perusing the other night before bed. The ole girl was about to give out and Clark had been pricing his options. She swayed her head back and forth, keeping rhythm to the song in her head. She made such a pretty sight against his powder blue sheets. He had finally changed his sheets from the lilac color Lana had insisted on when they had lived together. He’d ripped those sheets off a day or two after she’d left and had been sleeping on the bare mattress. He was grateful he’d thought to put sheets on his bed this morning after he’d finally done some laundry._  
  
 _His eyes ran down the length of her back. It dipped almost perfectly before giving into her luscious ass. Again, he was awed back her backside. It was tight and smooth, two perfectly round globes of flesh he could squeeze all day long and be happy. Her legs were out behind her, ankles crossed and feet up in the air like a little girl laying on the floor. However, there was nothing innocent or childish about the image Chloe created or the urges she inspired within Clark. He crossed the room and crawled onto the bed, molding his body down on top of hers, burying his face in-between her neck and shoulder, her cheeks cradling his front._  
  
 _Chloe sighed contentedly._  
  
 _“Whatcha doin’?” Clark asked, running his hands down to caress her sides. He forced his fingers between her hips and the mattress, Chloe lifting slightly so Clark could slip his hands under her easily._  
  
 _“Catching up on my tractors. There are so many newfangled things out there,” Chloe said calmly. Clark could tell she was trying to act as if his presence didn’t affect her, but he knew otherwise. Her pulse beat like a butterfly’s wing, matching his at the feel of her skin under his._  
  
 _“Pick one out you like?” Clark asked. Chloe lifted her rear, pressing up into Clark’s pelvis. Clark groaned and leaned down to nip at her throat._  
  
 _“Maybe,” Chloe answered breathlessly. “I think I may need to take it for a test drive.” Chloe threw the magazine and rolled underneath Clark, coming face to face with him._  
  
 _“You’re ready for a new one so soon?” Clark asked, reaching down to touch her intimately._  
  
 _Chloe gasped, her eyes closing and jaw tightening. She caught his wrist and yanked it upward, placing his big hand on her breast as she opened her thighs, her hips arcing up to receive his thrust. Clark slipped inside, Chloe’s body welcoming him easily. Both of them moaned with satisfaction, their bodies already recognizing each other and fitting together the way that was most pleasurable. Clark found Chloe’s mouth and kissed her lovingly as his hips found their pattern, setting the course for this round._  
  
 _Chloe thrashed beneath him, whimpering and moaning as Clark made love to her slowly. Her fists twisted in the top sheet before coming back and running through his hair. Finally, her back arched and her toes curled against the back of his thighs. He slowed himself down to a snail’s pace, gritting his teeth. Chloe clung to his biceps, begging for him to “just go” when she realized he was drawing his delicious torture of her body out. Minutes later he began building again. Chloe broke apart in his arms, crying out his name in the guttural tone Clark swore he would never live without. Chloe’s body trembled as she came down and with every following move of Clark searching for his own fulfillment. As she’d done the times before, she raised up; kissing Clark’s jaw and neck softly, her hands running over his back and down to the back of his thighs and up again._  
  
 _“Still want that new tractor?” Clark asked between gritted teeth as Chloe caught his earlobe between her teeth._  
  
 _Chloe shook her head, her body tightening as she found herself on the crest of another orgasm. Her fingers dug into Clark’s chest._  
  
 _“Think I’ll stick with the one that is already broken in,” Chloe gasped. “Yes! Clark!”_  
  
They came together for the first time that night. Clark remembered the intensity of that shared experience; Chloe crying against his shoulders, both of their bodies shaking together, the warmth that suffused him as he sunk down into the mattress, her body cradling him. Clark shook from the memories. He opened his eyes. He was in the barn but he didn’t remember what he was here for. His breath was labored and he held a rake. The wood threatened to snap under the force of his grip. Clark looked down, making out the thick line of his still erect member. Like last night, it had deflated but with thoughts of Chloe it stood at attention once again. Clark looked at his watch. He didn’t know what time Chloe would be getting off. He knew he needed it to be  _now._ The only thing was he refused to take Chloe to bed before they had that talk.   
  
After he made his intentions known, he would take Chloe, rip her clothes off and bend her over that kitchen counter again and proceed to-  
  
“Clark?”  
  
Clark spun, his eyes going wide. The rake handle snapped in two in his hand.  
  
“Mom.”


	6. Chapter 6

Chloe hitched a ride with Lois home from the Planet. She sent Chloe many quirked eyebrows as Chloe tried to explain why she hadn’t driven herself to the Planet. The rest of the ride was silent for the most part; Chloe staring off out the window and Lois using her steering wheel as a make-shift drum set. When they got to the apartment, Chloe threw her purse on the bed and locked herself in the bathroom while Lois changed into sweats, popped a beer and took up her place on the couch. She found a televised Monster Truck rally and was screaming at the TV when Chloe emerged from the bathroom. Lois’s mouth closed with a pop when she caught sight of Chloe.  
  
“What?” Chloe asked.  
  
Lois pointed the remote and muted the TV. She sat back against the couch and folded her arms. “Either you are planning on posing for a picture or you are looking for another sleepover with Smallville.”  
  
Chloe scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I look like I always do.”  
  
Lois pulled her knees in and perused Chloe as she stood there in her bathrobe. Lois squinted. “Hair is done and very bouncy. Make-up is done with special emphasis on the eyes. And…” Lois rose and walked over to Chloe and sniffed her. “Yep! You used the lotion I bought you before we went on vacation that  _you_ claimed should be used only for special occasions because it was so expensive.”  
  
“Lois, I didn’t get a chance to shower. My hair was disgusting and I smelt like-“  
  
“Clark and Chloe?” Lois crowed. “Chlark, a new fragrance for the sexually addicted and the emotionally stunted.”  
  
“Did you just combine our names like an annoying celebrity couple?”   
  
“Yeah, I did. Cute, huh?”  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and walked around the bed to the closet.  
  
Lois tossed the remote back on the couch and lay down on the bed, stretching out and facing the closet, watching Chloe pull things out. “Just admit it, Chloe. If booty calls, you’re going to answer.”  
  
“Honestly, Lois, I just wanted a shower,” Chloe told Lois with annoyance.  
  
“Chloe, you and Clark have gone camping for three days together. When you got back, both of you could give a skunk a run for his money and win.”  
  
Chloe rifled through her closet. “It’s different now, Lois,” she said quietly.  
  
Lois got off the bed and came to stand by Chloe, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I know it is. But you and Clark are still friends. _Best_ friends.” Lois reached out and took Chloe’s hand. “Please just promise me that if Clark wants to discuss a more-than-friends proposition you’ll try  _not_  to pull the emotional rip cord?”  
  
“Lois, since when did you become the President of the Clark Kent fan club?” Chloe questioned her cousin shrewdly.  
  
A wide smile stretched across Lois’s face. “Since I caught my baby cousin smiling more today than she’s smiled this past month.” Lois wrapped her arms around Chloe. “There is no reason for both of us to be broken-hearted.”  
  
Lois pulled away and reached into the closet and pulled out a red sundress Chloe had bought at a boutique on the island but had yet to wear.   
  
“Knock him dead,” Lois quipped, slipping the hangar over Chloe’s head.  
  
Lois returned to the couch, leaving Chloe to untie the sash of the robe, revealing she’d slipped into another pair of decadent undies.  
  
“Definitely a booty-call,” Lois murmured, catching sight of the royal blue bra and panties with black lace edging.  
  
“Shut up!” Chloe yelled before she and Lois dissolved into giggles.  
  
Chloe slipped the sundress off the hangar and over her head, smoothing it to settle with lady-like grace under her knees. She grabbed a white cardigan that matched the tiny white flowers stitched into the fabric and shrugged it on. She turned to the full length mirror in the corner and judged her appearance. The sundress set off her figure perfectly, emphasizing her breasts and small waist. She looked casual, yet still very feminine. The red brought out the green sparkle in her eyes and Chloe opted for clear gloss on her lips instead of color, enjoying the way her eyes stood out. The white made her skin look even more golden and her hair even more shimmering. She had one more special item to add and then she would be ready.  
  
Returning to the closet, Chloe searched through her shoes until she found the large box in the back. Throwing off the lid, she smiled at the contents. Taking the shoes out and setting them on the floor, she threw the box in the back. She’d bought these a couple of years ago and had only worn them a couple of times. She’d spent a small fortune on them and hated that even though she lived in Kansas, she didn’t live the life that required these often. Sitting on the bed, she pulled them on, turning her legs this way and that, admiring the pretty red flowers that were embroidered up and down the worn looking brown suede. The boots went up to the middle of her calves and it was then, realizing she’d put them on consciously, Chloe knew she was playing with fire.   
  
Chloe stood and grabbed her purse, walking across the length of the apartment to the door.  
  
“I won’t bother waiting up,” Lois told Chloe with a wink.  
  
“And I’ll be home later tonight,” Chloe replied, opening the door.  
  
“Ride ‘em, Cowgirl!” Lois whooped, catching sight of the two inch heeled designer boots walking out the door.

~ ~ ~

Clark sat at the kitchen bar; nervously clearing his throat as he reluctantly relived every detail of what had transpired on that counter less than twenty-four hours ago. And it was only reluctant because the mental images were doing  _nothing_ to dissuade the hard-on he was currently nursing in his jeans. The fact that his mother stood only a few feet away chattering at him harmlessly did very little to help; just made him all the more aware of his awkward predicament. Clark shuffled his legs restlessly, stifling a groan at the uncomfortable ache that was getting more acute by the minute.  
  
“Clark, dear?”  
  
Clark jumped violently at the feel of his mother’s hand on his shoulder. “What?” He exclaimed as he craned his head to look over his shoulder at her.   
  
“Clark!” Martha exclaimed herself in concern. She placed a hand on each of his broad shoulders, leaning down to look at him closely in the eye. “What is wrong, honey?”  
  
Clark licked his lips. “Nothing, nothing,” he replied as he waved her off. He slid off the stool and made for the backdoor, trying to hide the bulge in his pants as best he could. “Mom, I gotta go… Do some woodwork in the barn. I’ll be in later.”  
  
“Okay,” Martha said, tossing the apron she’d been about to put on upon the back of chair. She settled her hands on her hips and faced Clark. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not exactly thrilled to have me here?”  
  
Clark stopped with a hand on the doorknob. He blew out a breath, rifling the top of his hair with the force of hair. He turned with a sincere apologetic look on his face. “Mom, I am happy to see you. I’ve missed you. It’s just that…” Clark trailed off, not sure what to tell his mother.  
  
“Did you have other plans for tonight? Sweetie, that’s fine! I didn’t expect you to drop whatever you had planned just because I came into town,” Martha informed her son.   
  
Clark grinned. “I know, Mom. I didn’t really have any plans, but Chloe was gonna come over and-“  
  
“Lovely!” Martha exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “I want to hear all about her trip to the Islands.”  
  
Clark pressed his lips together. “I thought you would,” he said.  
  
Martha took a few steps closer. “Clark, what are you not telling me? Did you and Chloe have special plans for tonight?”  
  
“Not really, I just-“ Clark shrugged, not sure what to say.  
  
“Clark, why don’t you just tell me?”  
  
Clark thought for a moment, putting his words together. “Chloe is coming over tonight so we can talk.”  
  
“About what?” Martha asked.  
  
Clark ducked his head a little. “About… Us.”  
  
Martha clasped her hands. “As in you two…  _Together?”_  
  
Clark nodded, a tiny grin gracing his face.   
  
“ Oh, Clark!” Martha breathed excitedly. “When did this happen?”  
  
“Last night,” Clark answered with a secretive smile.  
  
“This is great news, honey!” Martha rushed forward and hugged him. Clark’s eyes widened, hugging his mother awkwardly. She pulled away, her face showing no sign of heeding Clark’s uneasiness. “Are you sure so soon after Lana, though?”  
  
“I am,” Clark replied strongly. “My last train wreck with Lana showed me I was trying to make something happen with her that I already had with Chloe. This is right, Mom. Chloe has always been the girl I should have been with. It’s just taken years of mistakes and stupidity to see it.”  
  
Martha hugged him again before releasing him and going over to her purse and picking it up. “Well then, I better make myself scarce so you two can have some privacy.”  
  
“Mom, that’s okay. We talk in the barn,” Clark told her, not wanting to send his own mother out of her house.  
  
“Nonsense!” Martha waved at him. “I’ll run into town to see the Richardsons’. I promised them the next time I was in town I would pay them a visit.” She stopped in front of Clark, pulling him down to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be back later, sweetheart.”  
  
As the back door shut behind his mother, Clark breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled as he headed back out to the barn to finish his chores. With any luck, he and Chloe would be able to celebrate a little before his mother returned. Clark laughed as he thought of all the missed opportunities growing up with Chloe and how his super-hearing could have come in handy. 

~ ~ ~

Chloe pulled into the Kent driveway just as Martha was backing out. Chloe jumped out of her car but Martha only waved. Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. She shrugged and skipped up the steps into the house. She opened the door and entered the kitchen. Her gaze went immediately to the counter. She bit her lip. Walking around the side, she looked at the wood. She reached out and touched it, remembering the sound of Clark crushing it as he labored above her. A delicious shiver went through Chloe. Never had she found his immense strength so sexy. The wood looked perfect, like it had always been there. 

  
Looking around, she called out, “Clark?”  
  
At her voice, Shelby padded into the kitchen, his tongue lolling out as he greeted her with a happy swish of his tail.  
  
“Hi, Shelby,” Chloe cooed as she squatted and hugged the dog. Shelby licked her cheek before looking at the door expectantly. “You wanna go out?”  
  
Chloe stood and walked over to the door, laying her keys and purse on the counter as she passed it. She opened it and Shelby trotted out. Looking toward the barn, she caught a glimpse of movement. Taking a deep breath, she left the house and headed for the barn.  
  
Clark heard Chloe the moment she pulled into the driveway. Her heartbeat was like a tattoo on his arm; he knew it intimately. He turned off the power tool he’d been using and slipped the guard on. He listened closely; she was wearing something light because it made a soft  _whoosh_ against her skin. Clark turned to face the open doors of the barn, watching Chloe walk in from the catwalk above.   
  
“Clark?”  
  
Clark stayed quiet, leaning his arms on a beam to watch her. She looked around, running a hand through her hair. Everything seemed to glow around her, like she’d brought the sun into the shadowy space with her. Clark’s eyes ran down her figure, her curves and swells emphasized in the light, cotton sundress she was wearing. His fingers itched, longing to slide the white jacket off to reveal her soft shoulders underneath. His mouth began to water when he saw the cowboy boots and he felt himself jump in excitement. Pushing away, Clark made his way to the second set of stairs.  
  
“Up here,” he called down.  
  
Chloe turned and put her hands on her hips. “Already retreated to your Fortress, I see.”  
  
Clark came down a few stairs, licking his lips. Something spicy was in the air and Clark took a breath, allowing the scent to waft over him. It was Chloe. A wave of desire hit him. He met Chloe’s eyes. The green orbs shone back at him, slightly guarded. Clark didn’t like that look. He wanted the look he had this morning; open and wide, her emotion pouring out of them. He wanted them half-lidded with want and smoldering.   
  
Chloe rested a foot on one step and leaned against the post. “About this morning-“  
  
“I haven’t forgotten.”  
  
Chloe’s stomach tightened at his tone. It had deepened and sounded like pure sex. She closed her mouth with a pop. She watched him take the last few stairs slowly.   
  
“Oh my god, Clark,” she whispered as she caught sight of his jeans. “You’re still-“  
  
Clark reached out and grabbed Chloe by her hips, pulling her against him as he melded his mouth to hers. Chloe wrapped her arms around his waist, her hands going up under his shirt to touch his hot skin, immediately caught in the undertow Clark created. She opened her mouth, needing to taste Clark fully, remember the feel of his tongue on hers. Her fingers curled into his back as she stretched up to press her mouth firmer to Clark’s.   
  
Clark lifted his head, his breath coming out in harsh blows. “Yeah, I am. And it’s all for you.”  
  
Chloe’s eyes widened at his statement. The Clark Kent that she knew every day and the Clark Kent she’d met in the throes of passion were two different people. This Clark said things and did things that made Chloe feel as if she was being consumed inside by flames.  
  
Pulling her up to the same step, Clark latched on to Chloe’s neck, grabbing the arms of short sweater and ripping it off her. Tossing it to the ground, Clark ran his tongue from her neck to her shoulder, tracing a pattern on her bare shoulder as Chloe panted in his ear. Clark turned his back to lean against the railing, running his hands down to cup Chloe’s bottom, pressing her to him tightly.  
  
Chloe hissed and threw her head back. Clark left her shoulder, kissing her neck and down to her collarbone and lower until he came in contact with the fabric of her dress.  
  
“This is in the way,” Clark growled.   
  
He reached up to the shoulder strap. Chloe’s voice stopped him.  
  
“Don’t you even think about ripping this dress,” she said coldly.  
  
Clark lifted his head and smirked. “Why? Clothes on you are pointless. I don’t even know why you wear them.”  
  
Chloe pulled away and walked up a couple of steps. She turned back to Clark, looking down on him. “Clark, I saw your mom. I don’t know exactly what we’re doing but I do know I don’t want to be in the middle of doing it if she comes back. Which means,” she crossed her arms. “Clothes stay on.”  
  
Clark, his eyes licking up her skin like fire, grinned devilishly. “I can work around that.”  
  
Chloe put a hand out, backing up a couple of steps as Clark pursued her. “Clark, that is not what I meant.”  
  
Clark narrowed his eyes. “But it’s what you want.”  
  
Chloe eyed him with concern. “Clark, have you been sniffing paint thinner laced with Red K?”  
  
Clark laughed, the noise rolling over Chloe, causing her breasts to pebble with goose bumps. “The only thing I smell is you.”  
  
Chloe made it up the landing, Clark right on her feet. “Clark, I am serious.”  
  
Clark’s face changed. His eyes begged her. “Chloe, I  _need_ you. I have to touch you. I’ve thought about you all day.”  
  
Chloe swallowed. She’d thought about him. She halted, letting Clark catch her, filling up the space in front of her. She looked up at him. “Your mom could come back at any moment.”  
  
“She went into town. We have awhile before she comes back,” Clark said, his fingers toying with her shoulder strap.   
  
“Clark,” she said sternly.  
  
Clark smirked and slid his hand up to her chin, tilting it upward. He kissed her sweetly as he maneuvered her back into a dark corner. Chloe’s back hit the barn wall, bits of wood cutting into her skin. She didn’t care. All she could care about was the large brush fire Clark was fanning to life between her thighs. Trapping her with his pelvis, Clark pressed into Chloe, causing her to moan into his mouth. Chloe clutched at Clark’s shoulders before moving her hands down and then discreetly between them. Running her hands down his ribbed abdomen, Chloe deftly unbuttoned the top button of Clark’s jeans and slid the zipper down. Slipping her hand inside, she touched Clark gently, running her fingers up and down his thick length.   
  
Clark came away from Chloe’s mouth with a hiss, gritting his teeth together at the intense sensation of Chloe’s small hand softly caressing him.   
  
“Two can play at this game,” Chloe murmured sexily.  
  
Clark held her stare as he thrusted into her hand, bracing himself with his hands on either side of Chloe’s head. Chloe smiled coyly, placing her other hand on his stomach and sliding her fingers under his shirt to trace the line of his abs.   
  
Bringing down one of his hands, Clark placed a finger at the hollow of her neck and ran it down, stopping at the edge of the vibrant red fabric. Moving the digit up, he hooked it under the thin strap and pulled downward. The strap fell off her shoulder, revealing the thin bright blue of Chloe’s bra.   
  
“You’re wearing my colors,” Clark whispered. He lowered his head and caught the bra strap in his teeth, pulling at it until it snapped in two.  
  
“Clark,” Chloe groaned. “You’re going to ruin all my clothes.”  
  
“Only the unnecessary ones,” Clark replied, moving his head to the other side. Clark got the bodice off and it hung below the Chloe’s breasts which were still encased in her silky lingerie. Reaching around Chloe, he unhooked the bra, letting it fall off and hang from one arm. Clark’s throat caught at the sight of her perfect breasts. Clark fell to his knees in front of her. “I love your breasts.”  
  
Chloe laughed and rolled her eyes. “You and every other man in the nation. Mine, Demi Moore’s, men just love boobs.”  
  
Clark shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Chloe’s waist, pulling her closer to his mouth as it hovered over a pert nipple. “No. I love  _these.”_ Clark kissed one and then the other. “They’re perfect. They fit in my hands like they were made for me.” Proving this, Clark brought a hand back and cupped one, keeping Chloe clasped in his other arm. Chloe ran her hands through Clark’s hair, enjoying the lusciousness. Clark lifted his face, resting his chin on Chloe’s sternum as he gazed into her eyes. “ _You_ were made for me.”  
  
Chloe felt her heart crack. Swallowing back her emotion, she lowered her head and kissed Clark. Clark pushed off his knees and grasped the hem of Chloe’s dress in his hands. He pulled the skirt up and looked down, glimpsing a sight of her panties, just a scrap of blue silk.  
  
“Chloe, if you want me to stop tearing your clothes, you’ve got to stop wearing such sexy things,” Clark groaned. Spreading his hands, he framed Chloe’s upper thighs, running his hands up to knead her through the underwear.   
  
Chloe laughed in her throat. “So, next time, granny panties?”  
  
Clark scoffed. “Commando.”  
  
Clark captured Chloe’s lips once more, kissing her heatedly as he slipped his hands into the lace to caress her skin. The muffled noise of a car door shutting reached Chloe’s consciousness.  
  
“Clark, stop!” She hissed, pushing at Clark.  
  
“What?” Clark asked dazedly.   
  
“A car door,” Chloe answered. “I think your mom is back!”  
  
Clark sharpened his hearing.  _“Damn.”_  
  
Clark pushed Chloe further into the shadows, pressing her back against the wall, shielding her with his body.  
  
_“Clark? Chloe?”_ He heard his mother call.   
  
He held his breath as she walked into the barn. He lowered his head, burying his nose in Chloe’s hair as she clung to him, praying they didn’t get spotted. Clark listened as she walked out and then toward the house.  _“Probably went for a walk,”_  she said to herself. The backdoor slapped shut and Clark released a breath.  
  
“Okay, she’s in the house,” Clark said.  
  
Chloe fell limp against him. “That was too close.” She stood up and began putting her clothes right.  
  
Clark gave her a confused stare. “What are you doing?”  
  
“What does it look like I am doing, Clark?” Chloe said, trying to save her bra. “This has gone too far anyway.”  
  
Clark shook his head, stilling Chloe’s hands. “This hasn’t even gotten far enough!” Clark pulled Chloe against him until they were touching chest to thigh. “Do you feel what I have been going through all day? Have you not been thinking about me?”  
  
Chloe couldn’t believe the yearning coating his voice. She laid her hands on his chest. “Of course, I have been, Clark. I want this much as you do, gawd, believe me, I do.” She raised her eyes. “But I can’t let you do all the things you want to do to me when the woman who is basically my surrogate mother is just a few feet away!”   
  
“Then we’ll be careful,” Clark said easily.  
  
“Really? Clark, even with your canine hearing you were in such a lustful daze you didn’t hear the car door shut.  _I_ did!” Chloe pointed out.  
  
Clark grinned. He let go of Chloe and stepped away, circling her. He stepped up behind her, pulling her back, fitting her body to his. Chloe gasped when Clark’s erection nestled between her cheeks. He lowered his head and latched onto her neck, a hand coming up to cup her bare breast. Clark worked his mouth upward, his tongue darting out to trace the shell of her ear. Chloe moaned.  
  
“We’ll keep an eye out for her,” Clark whispered.   
  
“You can’t be serious,” Chloe weakly protested.   
  
Clark nodded. “I’ve been going crazy all day. I gotta have you, Chloe. You don’t understand. I have been in  _physical pain_ and it’s all your fault.”

Chloe’s resistance, what little was left, shattered right there. The thought that Clark Kent, some sort of superman, had been aching for her all day was enough to drive her straight to the edge. She laid her head against his shoulder, taking his hands and laying them on her thighs. She could feel Clark’s smile against her cheek. She turned her face, loving how tall Clark was that he could kiss her easily as he lifted her skirt to her hips. Leaving her mouth, Clark squatted, kissing the small of her back as he took her panties and pulled them down, pushing them past her boots. He lifted one foot and then the other, helping her out of the confining lace. Slowly, Clark ran his tongue from the back of her knee, up the back of the thigh and over the crest of her ass as he stood.   
  
“Those cowboy boots are driving me crazy, Chlo,” Clark growled.   
  
Chloe bit her lip. She was afraid to speak, fearing she’d scream the moment Clark touched her. She heard the rustle of fabric and the felt the intense heat as his naked flesh pressed against her. Chloe moaned from behind closed lips.   
  
“Why are you being so quiet, Chloe? Talk to me,” Clark husked in her ear, his hand snaking down the front of her thigh, pulling it upward and back, making room for him between her thighs.  
  
“Clark, please!” Chloe rasped.   
  
“Please, what?” Clark said, hovering behind her.  
  
Chloe groaned. Clark bent them over slightly. He laid one hand on the railing of the dark balcony they were taking shelter in, palm up. Chloe flattened her hand onto his, their fingers curling around each other.   
  
Chloe squirmed. She could feel him right then, feel the heat radiating off him. Her stomach twisted with want and she desperately needed to feel him like she had the other day. She craved his touch, yearned to become one with him once more.   
  
“Tell me what you want, Chloe. I need to hear you say it,” Clark demanded in her ear. “Tell me you want me.”  
  
“I want you, Clark. I’ve always wanted you.” Her voice held tears and Chloe could have killed Clark for making her admit such a thing.   
  
Clark surged forward, stealing Chloe’s breath in a ragged gasp. Something about this time was different. Gone was the playfulness; what was left in its place was almost a need for survival. It was raw and powerful and scared the hell out of Chloe. After this, there was no turning back. There was no pretending this hadn’t happened. Chloe clung to Clark’s hand as she continued to bend at her waist, pleasure blossoming all over her skin just from the motion of Clark’s hips. She would do anything to get more, feel more. She wanted to cry out but restrained her voice all she could until she was making high-pitched squeaks.   
  
All there was was Clark. He was at her back, he was at her mouth, he was at her side, and he was deep inside her. His hand splayed her thigh as he held her leg aloft, his fingers biting into her soft skin in a delicious pain. Chloe, needing air, ripped her mouth from Clark’s gasping for breath. She was slowly suffocating from his presence. She could feel death coming for her and she would die with the most satisfied smile on her face. Her release would be sweet. She could feel it building within, each piercing thrust of Clark’s hips pushing her closer to the cliff she would happily jump off of.   
  
Clark grunted roughly, groaning when Chloe brought their linked hands up to nibble at his fingers. He strengthened his strokes, making them longer and deeper, wanting to get as much of her body as he could. She felt like heaven. Her skin was soft and beginning to moisten with sweat. He’d been dreaming about her body all day and it was better than he remembered. She fit around him like glove, gripping him like a welcomed hug from a lover.   
  
Their hearts beat in tandem and Clark could feel they were both reaching for that ring, with him setting the course. Chloe bit down on his palm and Clark hastened his rhythm. The finish line was ahead. Chloe’s thigh was slipping from his grip. Quickly, he moved his hand to hold it behind. Their position changed and suddenly, Chloe was coming apart in his arms, pressing his palm to her mouth to quiet her delighted cries.   
  
Clark’s chest bloomed with pride at achieving what had become his ultimate goal. Chloe went limp, her head hanging down as if she had no strength. Clark kissed her neck, slowly his thrusts, letting Chloe’s body do the rest of the work. She contracted around him frantically. He could feel her knee beginning to strain. Clark pulled out and released her thigh. He turned her around, letting her lay against him. He stroked her hair softly.   
  
“We’re not done, Clark,” Chloe muttered.   
  
Clark smiled. “You are.”  
  
Chloe lifted her head. “This isn’t just about me.” Mustering some reserved energy, Chloe wrapped her arms around Clark’s neck and crawled up him, her legs leaving the ground to wrap around his waist. She looked down, seeing Clark standing proudly between them. Lifting her hips, she came down again, encasing him snugly. Clark stumbled back, coming to rest against the barn wall, his hands clutching Chloe’s ass as she sat on his hips. He groaned as Chloe began to move her hips in a circle. He threw his head back, closing his eyes as Chloe took charge. Chloe kissed his throat, running her tongue along the veins standing out as blood pumped rapidly through them. Her hands tunneled into his hair as she met his mouth in a heated kiss. He felt his lower body tighten. Clark bared his teeth as his body stilled and his orgasm came spilling out. Chloe kissed his lips as Clark clung to her, their bodies flush as both of them trembled.  
  
Clark slowly sank to the floor, his legs out in front of him, Chloe still in his lap. He pressed a hand to her exposed breast, burying his face in the crook of her neck as she stroked his back soothingly.  
  
“What are we doing, Clark?” Chloe asked softly.  
  
Clark lifted his head. He wasn’t sure but he wanted to continue it. This was right. Everything about them was right. The way Chloe made him loose his mind, the way her body fit perfectly with his, the way they both gave all to each other.   
  
“We’re being who we should have been all along,” Clark answered. Clark pulled her forward and pressed his lips to hers. Chloe kissed him back. The heat that was always with them now began to build.  
  
“Clark, no. This always leads to trouble,” Chloe said as she pulled away.  
  
“What kind of trouble?”  
  
“The kind I’m sitting on,” Chloe answered with a wink.  
  
Clark leaned his forehead down, pressing it to hers. “Gawd, all I want to do is take you upstairs and make love to you all damn night long.”  
  
Chloe swallowed. She resisted the urge to correct him. What they were doing was not making love. She didn’t know what it was, but it had to stop soon or she’d only be a pile of ash.


	7. Chapter 7

The couple lay in a state of post orgasmic bliss for several moments before standing to their feet. Once clothes were back in their proper places, Clark and Chloe, hands held between them, made their way out of the shadows. Chloe snatched up the sweater that was lying on the ground, beating the dirt from it.   
  
“I can’t believe your mom didn’t see this,” Chloe said as she slipped into the sweater, hoping it would help camouflage the disarray state of her bra. She ran her hands through her hair.   
  
Clark, walking behind her, chuckled when he saw the hem of Chloe’s dress was caught in her underwear. Reaching out, he plucked at it to pull the hem out.  
  
“Hey!” Chloe swirled and slapped at his wrist. “I don’t think so, mister. I’ve had my fill of clandestine affairs in a stinky ole barn for today!”  
  
Clark grinned and pulled Chloe into his arms. He leaned down and reached around her, smoothing her dress down over her backside, taking his time to feel her up in the process. “Your skirt was caught in your panties.”  
  
Chloe blushed. “Why is that when you say ‘panties’ it sounds dirty?”  
  
“Maybe it’s because I am talking about  _your_  panties.”   
  
“Or maybe because I have never heard Clark Kent  _say_  panties without having a frog in his throat.”  
  
“Well,” Clark settled his hands on Chloe’s waist, looking down at her with a sweet smile. “That must have been because I was talking about someone else’s panties. I really like talking about your panties.”  
  
“You like  _tearing_ my panties. There’s a difference.”  
  
“They are useless. Pretty, but useless. And I don’t have the time to deal with obstacles.”  
  
“I like to think of them as wrapping.”  
  
“You mean, like a present that I am unwrapping? Because one rule is that wrapping always gets ripped away.”  
  
“Not the pretty wrapping paper you want to save.”  
  
“You save your wrapping paper?”  
  
“When it costs me almost fifty dollars, yeah, I would like to save it and use it again.”  
  
“This?” Clark exclaimed, popping the hip waistband on the panties.  
  
“Ow!” Chloe squirmed away from him giggling.   
  
Clark tightened his arms, not ready to release her. “Those? Those flimsy things were fifty dollars?”  
  
Chloe nodded, patting his back before stepping away. “I like to splurge every once and awhile. And speaking of expensive delicates, you owe me about seventy-five for that pair you destroyed yesterday.”  
  
Clark chased after Chloe, catching her around the waist. Chloe screamed playfully as Clark flew her through the air to deposit her on a work table.  
  
“I think I have paid my debt on those,” Clark informed her, leaning down to kiss the line of her jaw.  
  
Chloe rubbed her thighs against the rough fabric of Clark’s jeans. “Add on another twenty-five for the bra you snapped today, too.”  
  
“Just put it on my tab,” Clark told her, placing his hands on her knees and sliding them up the sides of her thighs under the skirt of Chloe’s dress.  
  
Chloe grabbed his face and kissed him, losing herself in the feel of Clark delicious mouth on hers; their tongues teasing each other until they tangled together heatedly. She moaned at the feel of Clark’s hands on her inner thighs but quickly caught his wrists and pulled away. Shaking her head, Chloe glanced at the house and then back at Clark. Clark hung his head, slipping his hands out of her skirt and around her waist again, hugging her to him. Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder, closing her eyes and mind against the thoughts she was having. All she wanted to do was enjoy these few last moments with Clark.  
  
“I’m guessing your apartment is occupied tonight?” Clark asked against her shoulder.  
  
Chloe nodded. Clearing her throat, she said, “Lois is camped out on the couch.”  
  
“We’re not going to be using the couch,” Clark pointed out.  
  
Chloe couldn’t help but smile. “No, but I’m sure you would not like Lois judging your technique.”  
  
Clark stood up and looked at Chloe with shocked eyes.   
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. After what Clark had just done to her, she was still surprised by how prudish he could be. “There is no door, Clark. No door that separates the bedroom from the living room. I was by no means suggesting a threesome with you, me and my cousin who can’t stand you. This is Kansas, not Arkansas.”  
  
“Oh, right,” Clark said sheepishly.  
  
“And just in case your mom is watching for us, why don’t you let me down?” Chloe suggested.  
  
“Just one sec,” Clark said. He ran his hands down and cupped her behind, bringing her flush with him once more. Chloe bit her lip and turned her head, receiving Clark’s chaste kiss. Chloe fought the urge to curl her legs around Clark’s hips.  
  
As Clark pulled away, Chloe glared at him. “That wasn’t fair.”  
  
Clark looked at her innocently. “You sure we can’t kick Lois out for the night?”  
  
“After you just did something purposely when I can’t react knowing your sweet mother may be watching and not wanting to look like some strumpet who deflowered her son? Not on your life,” Chloe growled, pushing Clark away and jumping off the table. “Sleeping on your own will be your punishment.”  
  
Chloe smirked when she heard a pained whine behind her but kept walking.  
  


~ ~ ~

  
Martha hurriedly let the lace curtains fall back into place when she saw Chloe and Clark making their way toward the house. She rushed over to the counter where she’d been cutting up vegetables for dinner when she’d heard voices. She smiled as she tossed diced tomatoes into the Caesar salad. She wasn’t used to seeing Clark and Chloe be so physical with one another even though she’d always known they were affectionate. Martha rolled her eyes. Clark and Chloe had always been more open with their affection for one another than Clark and Lana had, even when the woman had been living with her son. It shouldn’t have surprised her now with the change in Clark and Chloe’s relationship status that the two would be very open with their feelings, but Clark was her little boy. However, with that same thought, Martha was so happy Clark had finally found someone who understood him and was not afraid to be emotionally open with him without expecting anything in return.   
  
The backdoor opened just as the oven timer went off. Martha turned and grabbed the oven mitts and opened the door, grasping the casserole dish.  
  
“Did you two have a nice walk?” Martha asked as she turned around, setting the glass dish on the cabinet. She took the mitts off, looking up at the couple. Martha then did a double take. “Chloe!”  
  
Chloe jumped and looked at Martha Kent with wide eyes. Clark immediately began looking Chloe over himself, laying a hand on her back and looking at her exposed skin, concerned why his mother was worried. Martha rounded the island and eyed the girl up and down.   
  
“What happened to you?” Martha asked with a little shock.  
  
Chloe cleared her throat and pulled her sweater tighter around her. “Nothing, Mrs. Kent.”  
  
Martha eyed her shrewdly. Chloe hadn’t called her Mrs. Kent since she and Clark had been in high school. She glanced over at Clark who was also examining Chloe.   
  
“Mom, what is it?”  
  
With the educated eye of a mother, Martha took in Chloe’s mussed hair, her swollen lips and the way her dress was wrinkled around her hips and down. She pressed her lips together and smiled nervously as she watched Chloe trying to cover the hickey on her neck but her sweater kept catching on something.   
  
“Here, sweetie.” Chloe regarded Martha with wide eyes as she reached out and opened the sweater. Martha saw a tiny string was caught on Chloe’s bra. Discreetly, she took Chloe’s bra strap in her fingers only to gasp when the strap flopped in her hand.   
  
“Oh, gawd,” Chloe said tearfully. “I have to go.” Chloe plucked the strap, which Martha had been studying in shock, from the woman’s fingers.  
  
“Chloe, wait!” Clark said.  
  
Chloe grabbed her purse and keys, her cheeks stained a bright red. “I am so sorry, Mrs. Kent.”   
  
Martha shook herself. “Chloe, it’s okay!” She called to the dashing girl’s back.  
  
Clark followed Chloe out the door, grabbing at her arms. “Chloe, its okay-“  
  
“No, Clark, it’s  _not_  okay!” Chloe yelled at him. She whirled on him at the door of her car. “I am so embarrassed! What she must think of me!”  
  
“She doesn’t think anything because she knows what is going on,” Clark tried to explain.  
 _  
“What?”_  Chloe shrilled. “I’ve gotta go. I’ve just got to go.”  
  
“Chloe, don’t leave like this,” Clark pleaded.  
  
“You know what, Clark?” Chloe said, throwing her purse in the passenger side seat before glaring at him. “Why don’t you go back inside and discuss just what exactly we are doing because I sure as hell don’t know.”  
  
Clark stepped back as Chloe slammed the door and started the car, peeling out of the driveway in a spray of gravel. With slumped shoulders, Clark watched Chloe speed away.   
 _  
“Sh*t!”_ Clark swore, kicking the stones. He didn’t know what the hell had happened again. It was like whenever he saw Chloe these past few times, all rational thought flew south for the duration of the time it took him to bone her. And now he’d put her in an awkward position with his mother. Neither he nor Chloe had anything to apologize for but Clark knew how much Chloe valued his mother’s opinion of her. Clark turned and faced the kitchen door. He saw his mother standing just inside. Clark took a step toward the house and something glinted against his eye. He looked down. He squatted to pick up Chloe’s phone which must have fallen out of her purse when she was running to her car. Clark toyed with the idea of taking it to her tonight but decided against it. He’d take it to her tomorrow at the Planet, unless she called. Then she could come pick it up. Something told him, as he slipped the phone in his pocket, she’d prefer a place with people.   
  
Clark stomped up the steps and entered the house. He passed through the kitchen silently, heading for the stairs.  
  
“Clark?”  
  
Clark paused. He took a deep breath before he turned to face his mother. She stood in the middle of the kitchen, fiddling with the thin gold chain at her neck.  
  
“Mom, look, I am an adult and what I do-“  
  
“Clark, would you please come in here?”  
  
Clark swallowed and entered the kitchen. Martha sat down, Clark following her example. Clark watched his mother. She fisted her hands and studied them, gathering her words. Finally, she looked at Clark.  
  
“I apologize if I made it awkward for Chloe. I was just caught off guard. I wasn’t aware that you two,” she paused. “I wasn’t aware that you two were engaged in  _that_ type of relationship.”  
  
Clark ducked his head. “It’s been pretty recent.”   
  
“Was this the first time you two have…”Martha trailed off.  
  
Clark shook his head. “Last night…”  
  
Martha nodded. “So  _that_ was what Chloe was coming to talk about.”  
  
“Yeah,” Clark snorted. “Only there wasn’t much talking involved.”   
  
Martha looked at Clark with concerned eyes. “Did you talk about anything, Clark?”  
  
Clark shook his head. He met his mother stare with his own worried expression. “Mom, I don’t know what is going on with me. I wanted to talk to Chloe when she got back from vacation about us but instead something came over me and I…” Clark shrugged. Martha nodded, confirming she understood. “And then tonight. I wanted to talk to her. But the moment I saw her I had to... I had to have her.”  
  
Martha sat back in her chair. “What do you mean?”  
  
Clark shifted in his chair. He looked at his own hands, avoiding his mother’s face. “It’s times like these I wish Dad were here.”  
  
“I know, honey.” Martha squeezed one of his hands.  
  
Clark waited a moment before continuing. “It’s like I couldn’t stop myself. I knew that I wanted to talk to her about what happened and what it meant, but I just… My brain hit radio silence.”  
  
“I overheard some of the conversation outside. You haven’t said anything to her about your feelings have you?” Martha asked.  
  
“No. I haven’t got the chance. And I know what she is thinking. I just don’t understand what is with me!”  
  
“Clark, I can see this has been building for a while,” Martha began gently. “And while, for you, this is very close to communicating your feelings in the rawest form, women are different.”  
  
“Mom, I had the birds-and-the-bees talk with Dad when I was thirteen and he caught me and Pete with a Playboy,” Clark told her. “I’m good in that department.”  
  
“That’s not what this is,” Martha said with a laugh. “This may be awkward but I think I can help you. Clark, men are physical. You see things in a very concrete way. When there is desire, you act on it in the simplest way. You show love and desire and lust physically. There is no difference between those with men. As you grow older, it changes, but right now, with as young as you are, the three are pretty much the same.”  
  
Clark slunk down in his chair, careful to look right over his mother’s shoulder.  
  
“With women, there is always more to it. For a women to give herself to you, usually there are some very strong feelings behind it. Especially, when dealing with women like Chloe. For her to know that this all is coming from a place of truth and honesty, she needs to know how you  _feel._ Women are emotional; we make emotional choices. Chloe is probably feeling very used right now, like she was just a means to an end.”  
  
“But she wasn’t! Mom, you and Dad raised me to respect sex. And while I know you two never meant for me to have sex outside of marriage, I do respect it and the consequences and responsibilities that come with it. I would never do this with someone who I didn’t have strong feelings for. Chloe has to know that!” Clark exclaimed.  
  
“Sometimes actions speak louder than words,” Martha replied. “But not all women want a man to  _show_ them how they feel. Some women want to  _hear_ it. And while I do think Chloe knows how you feel about her, she only knows what you’ve shown in the past. The two of you have always walked a very thin line between friendship and more. Anytime the two of you have come close to crossing, one of you always pulls back. Not only does she need to see how you feel about her, she needs to  _hear_  it. You have to tell her this is more than just…  _Relations.”_  
  
Clark chuckled. “I’ve been meaning to, but every time it’s like I can’t-“ Clark stopped himself. He looked at his mom. “You don’t think Chloe has just let me, do you?” Clark asked nervously.  
  
Martha cleared her throat. “Uh…” She shook her head again. “No, Clark. Chloe has too much self-respect to let you use her like that. If Chloe consented, she wanted to. I’m guessing, though, Chloe always shows hesitancy?”  
  
“She does,” Clark answered. “And I just steam roll her until she gives in.” Clark said with disgust.  
  
Martha sighed with relief, grateful her son knew where the boundaries were. Not that she’d ever think Clark would force himself on anyone, but the lines became blurry when desire was involved.  
  
“Chloe follows her mind, even when her heart and head are at war. She always has. But there are times when you can’t ignore your heart. And Clark, you are Chloe’s heart,” Martha told her son.  
  


~ ~ ~

  
The summer light was dying as Chloe pulled up and parked in the alley of the Talon. She turned off the car and sat back, looking at her dashboard, letting her eyes lose their focus. What had Chloe been expecting; a marriage proposal? No, she’d gotten exactly what she’d gone there to get. The humiliation was an added bonus. Sighing, Chloe grabbed her purse and got of the car, slamming the door a little harder than necessary. What happened to enjoying whatever she could with Clark? What happened to that little egg of wisdom she’d laid on the way out to the farm? It’d hatched into something else between the mind-blowing sex and the cuddling afterward. Chloe dashed away tears when she realized it was all or nothing with her when it came to Clark. She could never accept anything less than everything, nor could she give less than everything.  
  
She fumbled the back door key in her hand, finally fitting into the lock. Slipping in quietly, she took the back stairs to the balcony running the perimeter of the Talon. Stopping outside the door, Chloe quickly gathered her emotions and composure. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and entered the apartment. She looked quickly around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spied Lois asleep already in the bed. It was only eight-thirty but both had an early morning. Either way, Chloe was grateful her cousin was already out for the night. Setting her purse on the table, she slipped off the boots so she could tiptoe across the floor to the bathroom. When she was foot away, Lois shifted. Chloe cringed as a lamp was switched on. Her shoulders slumped.  
  
Lois yawned loudly. Chloe turned, seeing Lois’ eyes were wide open. She must have only climbed into bed minutes before. Lois cocked her head and stretched an arm out, turning the radio clock toward her. She looked back at Chloe.   
  
“I wasn’t expecting you until the wee hours of the morning, young lady,” Lois reprimanded the younger woman. “What is the meaning of this?”  
  
Chloe put on a brave smile. “I told you I’d be home early.”  
  
Lois’ features became truly perplexed. “What happened?”  
  
“Nothing, Lois, just as I predicted. We can talk in the morning,” Chloe suggested. She shrugged out of her cardigan. A gasp of shock was heard and Chloe hurriedly tried to yank the jacket back on.  
  
Lois threw back the covers and shot out of the bed. She barreled toward Chloe, arriving in front of her to open the sweater and inspect her cousin’s neck. She ran the tips of her fingers gingerly along the darkened circles on Chloe’s neck. “I wouldn’t call these  _nothing,_ Chloe. Oh my gawd!” Lois exclaimed. She pushed the shoulder off and grasped Chloe’s snapped bra strap. “Has Clark turned into an animal?”  
  
Chloe grabbed the strap and pushed past Lois. “He’s a  _man,_ Lo,” she retorted as she went into the bathroom, pushing the door to. “Of, course he’s an animal!”  
  
Lois pushed the door open and stood inside the doorway. “Chloe, he didn’t hurt you, did he?”  
 _  
“Lois!”_ Chloe cried, ripping the dress over her head and tossing it on the floor. “You  _seriously_ can’t mean what I think you mean!”  
  
“Not  _that_ way, Chloe. I know Clark would never force you, but… Chloe, you are smaller than he is,” Lois pointed out gently. “And I don’t just mean in the height department.”  
  
Chloe leaned down and splashed cold water on her face. She picked up a towel and patted her face dry before opening the mirror and withdrawing make-up remover. Carefully avoiding Lois’ eyes in the mirror, Chloe studied her reflection as she swiped the towelette over her skin.   
  
“It was completely the opposite of pain,” Chloe said with a cynical laugh. “We just got carried away. Underwear got damaged along with my pride.” She tossed the used wipe in the trash.   
  
Lois walked over and closed the toilet lid, sitting down, watching her cousin closely. “Your pride?”  
  
Chloe sighed. She unsnapped the broken bra and let her fall to her feet. Reaching behind the door, she grabbed the robe and slid into it, cinching the belt tightly around her waist. “Martha was leaving when I got there.”  
  
“Leaving?”  
  
“Yep,” Chloe answered, returning to the sink. Wanting to remain facing the mirror as long as she could, she took out some rarely used moisturizing night cream and began to apply it in smooth circles to her face. “I found Clark in the barn.”  
  
“And?” Lois said after Chloe was quiet for a few minutes.  
  
“And we got carried away. After, we headed for the house. Martha was in the kitchen and-“ Chloe broke off, shaking her head. She braced herself on the sink. Her shoulders shook slightly.  
  
“Oh, honey,” Lois breathed. She stood and made her way to Chloe, laying a hand on her back as she leaned forward, too.   
  
“It’s not even that she knew what had happened,” Chloe finally hiccupped in sobs. She turned her face to Lois. “It was the whole situation! Me and Clark are having sex and we aren’t anything to each other! I was so embarrassed! I look like some slut! I’ve wanted Clark for  _years_ and obviously I am just going to take whatever he throws my way! And she-“ Chloe wiped her nose. “She saw the bra and-“  
  
Lois wrapped her arms around Chloe and pulled her close, rubbing her back soothingly. This was not about Martha and it was not about Chloe’s pride. Something much deeper had happened tonight; something that had shaken Chloe. Keeping an arm wrapped around Chloe’s shoulders, Lois began to lead her to the small table right inside the apartment door. She sat Chloe in a chair before quickly throwing together a pot of coffee. As it brewed, Lois grabbed the tissues off the nightstand and plopped them in front of Chloe. Chloe reached out and plucked one from the box and blew her nose. Taking two mugs down from the cabinet, two spoons from a drawer and then some creamer from the fridge, Lois sat the group on table around the Kleenex. Hitting the pause button on the coffee pot, Lois picked up the carafe and filled the two mugs with the dark, hot brew.  
  
Chloe clutched a tissue in her fist as she sat back, staring at the cups. Lois returned the pot and then took the chair next to Chloe. She stirred in the creamer for both of them before she finally sat back and watched Chloe. Chloe cut her tear filled eyes to Lois.  
  
“Anytime you’re ready,” Lois said.  
  
Chloe gripped the handle of the mug and brought it to her lips, her throat moving as she swallowed. She set the cup down and folded her hands in her lap, toying with the sash on her robe. “I don’t know, Lois. I really don’t. I mean, going out there, I was ready to deal with whatever happened. If Clark was determined to make things awkward or if we did the thing we should not have done in the first place.”  
  
“You did the thing?” Lois questioned.  
  
Chloe nodded. “We did. And I was prepared for it. Then…” Chloe looked up at the ceiling.  
  
Lois waited patiently for her cousin to continue.  
  
Chloe shrugged. “Why couldn’t it just remain casual? It was casual up until Clark referred to it as ‘making love’. All it is is casual sex. End of story!”  
  
“Chloe, no offense, but you and Clark are not the ‘casual sex’ kind of people,” Lois told her quietly. “And sex between  _you_ and _Clark,_ will never be  _casual.”_    
  
“Well, we’re not the ‘making love’ kind of people, either. To  _make love_ you have to  _be_ in love.”  
  
Lois shook her head. “What were you talking about?”  
  
“He said he wanted to ‘make love’ to me all night,” Chloe repeated. “But-“  
  
“Chloe,” Lois interrupted. “Did you try to talk to Clark before you left? Did you two talk before Clark gave you two of the most serious hickeys I have  _ever_ seen?”  
  
Chloe pushed the hair out of her face. “It was like the other night. It’s like something snaps and we can’t stop it.  _I_ can’t stop.”  
  
“Chloe, why is that a bad thing?” Lois queried. “You and Clark have some undeniable sexual tension. It’s always there. You fan a flame long enough it’s only a matter of time before it catches its surroundings on fire. You have been fighting the feelings between you two for so long; I am not surprised that it’s just exploded like an atomic bomb.”  
  
“But what if it’s just that?” Chloe replied. “What if that’s all it is? Just a relieving of sexual frustration?”  
  
Lois leaned forward, her mug of coffee before her untouched. “Is that what it is? Are you worried that it is only sex?”  
  
Chloe was silent.  
  
“Or are you worried it means more?”  
  
Tears beaded in Chloe’s eyes. She stared into her coffee cup. Quietly, Chloe answered, “Both.”  
  
Lois reached out and grasped one of Chloe’s hands, holding it tightly on top of the table.   
  
Chloe looked up, her eyes clinging to Lois’. “Clark is  _everything_. How can one person mean so much to someone else?”  
  
Lois kept quiet, letting Chloe take her time.  
  
“If Clark doesn’t want more, I’ll be safe but I’ll never be whole.”  
  
“And if Clark  _does_ want more?”  
  
Chloe squeezed her eyes shut.   
  
“Then I’m afraid that…” Chloe pressed a hand to her forehead before lifting her face to meet her cousin’s gentle gaze. “When I’m with Clark, he consumes me. It’s like I’m not  _real_ without him. I’m afraid that I’ll lose myself completely. ”  
  
“That would never happen,” Lois replied. “The thing is, Chloe, Clark completes you; just as  _you_ complete  _him_. You could never lose yourself to Clark because the two of you make each other who you are.”  
  
“That may be so, but we still have a problem.”  
  
“What is that?”   
  
Chloe twirled her coffee cup. “I still don’t know what Clark wants.”  
  
Lois sat back, shaking her head. “Why does it matter what Clark wants? What about what  _you_ want?” Lois leaned forward again, forcing Chloe to look at her. “For once, Chloe,  _screw_  what Clark wants! You are the other half of this equation.”  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and scoffed disgustedly. She looked back at Lois with pained eyes. “I want what I’ve always wanted. I want Clark.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Lois, have you seen my phone?”  
  
Lois knocked back the last of her coffee. “Nope. When was the last time you used it?”  
  
“Late afternoon yesterday. Now I don’t know what I’ve done with it,” Chloe answered, abandoning the purse and starting to scour the apartment.  
  
“Here!” Lois waved her own blackberry at Chloe. “Call it.” She tossed it.  
  
Chloe caught it and dialed her phone number. It rang a few times on the other end but Chloe heard nothing. “It’s not in the apartment,” Chloe told Lois who began looking around herself.  
  
Unexpectedly, the call was answered.  _“Hey, Lois. Chloe looking for her phone?”_  
  
“Clark?”  
  
 _“Chloe?”_  
  
Chloe bit back the automatic smile at his voice. She cleared her throat. “I guess you are the perp who ‘napped my Samsung?”  
  
 _“Actually, I am the kind soul who rescued your phone from gravel damage,”_  Clark retorted.  _“It must have fallen out of your purse when you were running out of here last night.”_  
  
Chloe detected the small amount of accusation in his tone. She saw Lois examining her face, trying to read her expression. Chloe grinned at her before turning her back to her cousin.  
  
 _“You want me to run it to you? I can give you a ride into the city and maybe we could-“_  
  
“No, that’s okay. Lois and me are car-pooling it,” Chloe lowered her voice. “Why don’t you drop it by the Planet around lunch time? I think we may need to have that talk now.”  
  
 _“I think you’re right,”_ Clark agreed.  _“Chloe, I am-“_  
  
“Yeah, I’ll see you later, Clark. Oh! Do I have any missed calls?” Chloe asked quickly.  
  
 _“Hold on, I’ll check.”_ Chloe herd some clicking and beeping as Clark checked her texts and missed calls.  _“Yeah,”_ Clark began slowly.  _“You have two texts from Jimmy and five missed calls from him.”_  
  
“Really?” Chloe asked in surprised. “I’ll talk to him when I get to work. Thanks, Clark. I’ll see you later.” Chloe ended the call quickly before Clark could say anything else. Tapping the phone against her chin, she wondered what Jimmy had needed. She closed her eyes and fervently hoped they weren’t the embarrassing texts he’d sent her last week. He’d obviously been drinking and had begged her to get back together with him. She’d hated seeing him reduced to that. She liked Jimmy; she even still had feelings for him. They weren’t enough, though. They were nothing compared to the feelings she had for Clark. Nothing could touch that. It was the rock that toppled her rapidly slipping relationship with Jimmy. His jealousy over her bond with Clark was too much. One night, she just couldn’t bring herself to lie to him anymore. So, she left. Months later, he was still bitter. Chloe hated that Jimmy felt he couldn’t live up to Clark. The sad thing was, Jimmy never even stood a chance against the Olympic sized torch Chloe held for Clark Kent.  
  
“Chlo?” Lois asked quietly.  
  
Chloe shook her head and turned. “Clark has it. I must have left it over there. He’s bringing it to the Planet later today.”  
  
“Why don’t we just go pick it up?” Lois suggested. “It does seem like a long way for him to drive.”  
  
Chloe picked up her purse and the stylish leather briefcase she’d began using. “He’s coming in for lunch.”  
  
Lois snatched Chloe’s keys off the counter and opened the door, walking out onto the balcony outside the apartment. “You two gonna have a little pow-wow?”  
  
Chloe followed Lois, bringing the door with her and closing it. “With a little more pow and a little less wow.”  
  
“That doesn’t seem too fun,” Lois replied with a playful pout.  
  
“Yeah, well,” Chloe began as the two girls walked down the stairs together. “The wow seems to be what gets me in trouble these days.”  
  


~ ~ ~

  
The day dragged by. Every time Chloe glanced at her clock only five minutes had passed. She didn’t know if it was because she was dreading having to face Clark or she couldn’t wait to see him. When the clock struck 11:50, she reached out to dial his number from her office phone to see when she could expect him. She dialed the number and just as it began to ring, she spied Jimmy barreling right for her desk.  
  
“Oh, boy,” Chloe said on exhale. She quickly hung up the phone and started straightening up her desk for the lunch hour. Chloe knew she appeared nervous and she was. Clark would probably be here at noon and there was little doubt there would be a clash if Jimmy was still standing here. Since her and Jimmy broke up, the young photographer had made no attempt to hide his disdain for Clark. Though she knew Clark would not engage him, Chloe didn’t want to see Jimmy making a fool of himself in front of Clark again.   
  
“Chloe? Did you get any of my messages?” Jimmy asked brusquely.  
  
Chloe looked up and smiled in greeting. She got no smile in return. Chloe cleared her throat. “No, I’m sorry, Jimmy. I got separated from my phone last night.”  
  
“Do you have it now? I’ve sent you about ten texts!” Jimmy exclaimed. “Or have you decided I’m not good enough to work with either?”  
  
“Jimmy,” Chloe said quietly. “I still don’t have my phone. I left it at a friend’s and they’re bringing it to me. What is going on?”  
  
“A  _friend’s?”_ Jimmy sneered. Chloe sighed. She knew where this was going. “You were with  _him_ last night, weren’t you? That is why you couldn’t answer any of my messages.”  
  
“One, that is  _none_ of your business any longer,” Chloe said sternly. “And two, what is it that was so important, Jimmy?”  
  
“That’s a yes,” Jimmy scoffed. “The article we did on the main water line being tampered with, possibly a copycat of what happened in Gotham last year, they want a follow up.”   
  
Chloe’s eyes widened. It was her first piece after she’d been hired back on and it had made it all the way to the front page below the fold. Jimmy had taken the photographs and it was a piece they had done when they were together. They had jokingly called it a ‘Sulsen Presentation’; the first of many. And now the Editors wanted a follow up.  
  
“Are you serious?” Chloe whispered excitedly.  
  
Jimmy allowed a bright smile to bloom on his face. “Yep,” he crowed as he reached out and took Chloe’s shoulders. “The big dogs came to us this time.”  
  
“Jimmy, this is wonderful!” Chloe danced with happiness and threw her arms around Jimmy’s neck and squealed. “This might mean front page news!”  
  
Chloe squeezed Jimmy again, closing her eyes as a sense of accomplishment filled her being. She sighed with contentment and opened her eyes. They widened again as they met a pair of serious moss colored eyes set in the frowning face of the most beautiful man Chloe would ever see in her lifetime. Her smile widened and she untangled herself from Jimmy. All she could think of was sharing her joy with Clark, her best friend.  
  
“Clark!” She exclaimed, sprinting toward him.   
  
Clark’s lip lifted in a confused smile.  
  
“It’s the front page, Clark!  _The front page!”_ Chloe shrieked as she launched herself at him. Clark opened his arms and caught her easily; lifting her up and hugging her tightly, her feet swinging off the ground. Chloe reared back and took his face in her hands and planted an exuberant kiss on his mouth. When she pulled back, Clark smiled goofily.  
  
“Front page of what?” Clark asked teasingly.  
  
“A follow up story Chloe and I are working on.” Jimmy’s voice was like ice. “On the front page of the paper.”  
  
Chloe casted her eyes downward. She pushed discreetly at Clark’s chest. “Put me down, Clark,” she muttered.  
  
Clark glared at the smaller man. Jimmy held his stare, his chin tilting upward. Clark lowered Chloe to her feet but kept a possessive hand on her waist.   
  
Nervously, Chloe clasped her hands together. “Yes, the one I told you about; with the water lines looking as if someone tried to pull a Gotham scare on us.”  
  
Clark’s eyes never left Jimmy’s. “Right. I remember you talking about that article _you_ wrote.”  
  
“With Jimmy’s photographs, of course,” Chloe scrambled to give credit to Jimmy. She turned her head and looked at Clark with annoyance but found he and Jimmy were having a staring contest.  
  
“Yeah, you know,  _proof_ that what Chloe was writing about actually happened,” Jimmy pointed out.  
  
Clark opened his mouth for a harsh retort but felt Chloe’s hand gripping his arm. He clamped his mouth shut. Stamping down the anger and territorial urges he was being hit with, Clark turned away from Jimmy and looked down at Chloe and smiled gently. He reached into his pocket and pulled out her phone. “I believe you left this.”  
  
Chloe winced. She didn’t care what it looked like to Jimmy; her and Jimmy were over and whether or not her and Clark embarked on a romantic relationship was their business, not his. She did care, though, about how all this would make Jimmy feel. Taking the phone, she swallowed. “Thanks, Clark.”  
  
Patting the phone against her other hand, Chloe walked around Jimmy and laid it on her desk. Suddenly, she was whirled around. Chloe’s eyes widened as she looked into Jimmy’s angry eyes. His hand tightened on her arm, causing Chloe to yelp in pain. “Jimmy, please, let go.”   
  
“So you were too busy  _f*cking_  Jughead to answer any of my messages!” Jimmy seethed.  
  
 _“Jimmy!”_  Chloe exclaimed, struggling to free herself.  
  
 _“What the hell is your problem?!”_  Chloe heard Clark bellow.   
  
Clark grabbed Jimmy’s shirt collar, ripping him off Chloe.   
  
 _“Clark, don’t!”_  Chloe cried as she saw Clark dangle Jimmy, his toes barely scraping the floor.  
  
 _“Whoa!”_ Lois slid into the fray. “What are we doing?” She pointedly looked around. Chloe followed her gaze and saw that the ruckus had caught everyone’s attention. Her face burned. She turned glaring eyes on Clark who was snarling at Jimmy.   
  
 _“Clark.”_  
  
Clark tore his eyes and focused on Chloe. Chloe gasped when she saw the orange tint fade from his eyes. Clark, looking shaken, swallowed and lowered Jimmy to the ground. Chloe rushed over to him, framing his hard ribcage and clutching his shirt in her fists. “Clark?” She asked with worry.   
  
Clark’s eyes were wide. As if in shock, Clark fumbled until he finally had hold of Chloe’s shoulders; his hands clinging to her with a strong grip. Chloe looked to Lois who was also watching Clark with concern.   
  
“Lois, would mind dealing with-“ Chloe motioned to Jimmy. “While I deal with this.”  
  
“Is he okay?” Lois asked.  
  
“Yeah,” Chloe said bravely. “He’s fine.”  
  
“Oh, yeah, sure!” Jimmy finally croaked. “The guy almost throws me across the newsroom like I am some football and everybody is worried about him!”  
  
“Shut up, Olsen!” Lois growled as she took Jimmy by his shirtsleeve. “You better be glad that he got to you before I did! If I ever see you manhandle my cousin again…” Lois’ voice trailed off as she drug Jimmy back to archives.  
  
Chlo reached down and grabbed Clark’s hand, pulling him hurriedly out of the bullpen and into the supply room right outside the double doors. She opened the door and pushed Clark inside, slamming the door behind her and locking it. She turned to find Clark pacing the small enclosure like an agitated tiger, his long strides crossing the floor every few seconds.  
  
“Okay, King Kong,” Chloe said rudely once she saw Clark was alert once more. “You wanna tell me what the chest beating was about, ya big ape?!”  
  
“Chloe, I-“ Clark ran his hands through his hair and hugged the back of his neck. He stopped and looked at the floor. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know.” Clark lifted his head, his eyes shimmering in the dim light. He crossed the space quickly, crowding Chloe into a corner. He caressed the side of her face gently. Chloe breathed deeply, relishing his closeness and his touch. She reached up and touched his neck, her other hand tangling with his. “I saw him grab you and I-“ Clark swallowed. He lowered his forehead, pressing it to Chloe’s. “And I lost it,” he finished with a whisper.  
  
Chloe fought the urge to press her body to his; the result of his confession ratcheting her desire for him so high she felt as if she might faint. She licked her lips. Focusing on the part that truly worried her, she asked, “Why were your eyes red, Clark?”  
  
Jaw clenched, Clark cleared his throat. He’d never come so close to burning another human being before. And he knew it wouldn’t have been just a burn. The anger and possession he had felt in that moment was so strong, Clark knew Jimmy would have been vapor. Clark reached out and clutched Chloe’s waist, pulling her flush against him. He buried his face in her neck, frightened for the first time of exactly what Chloe was doing to him. Clark breathed in deeply; her distinct scent filled his nostrils. He pressed his mouth to the hot skin there and scraped his teeth across her skin. He was rewarded with a stifled moan. Lifting his head, he looked at her.  
  
“Because you’re  _mine_.”


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe’s heart was in her throat. In the past few days she’d seen this look on Clark’s face many times now and it always led to trouble. Delicious, hot, screaming-with-pleasure trouble. Chloe’s mind was jumbled with many misgivings. They were at the Planet. They were in the supply closet. They were at the Planet, in the supply room, in the middle of the day with reporters swarming in the Bullpen right outside the door.   
 _  
“Because you’re_ mine.”  
  
She rose up on her tiptoes and met his turbulent eyes. “Then prove it,” she snarled.  
  
Clark smiled, accepting the challenge. He backed Chloe all the way to the wall until they were enclosed on either side by metal supply racks. He lowered his head, claiming Chloe’s mouth heatedly, kissing her so hard their teeth scraped against each other. He grabbed her by the hips and tossed her up, his hands palming her butt. Chloe gasped, wrapping her legs around Clark’s hips and her arms around his neck. Clark left her mouth to rain hot kisses down the side of her neck, pulling down her blouse to gain access to her chest. Helping him, Chloe undid the tiny pearl buttons, allowing the fabric to flap open revealing a black on black lace bra. It made her skin look like white marble and Clark groaned as he suckled the skin of her upper breast.   
  
Pressing her lips shut, Chloe muffled her moans at the feel of Clark’s mouth on her skin. She rolled her head back, enjoying the feel of his tongue on her upper breast and the warmth of his hands cupping her ass cheeks. Eager to give as much as she got, Chloe tunneled a hand through Clark’s dark locks and tugged just enough, right at the roots where she’d learned he liked it. Feeling bold, she ran her other hand down his chest to his belt buckle and slowly began to unlatch it. Clark, not to be undone, bent a long leg at the knee, lowering Chloe enough to balance her on his thigh. Her breath caught when her sensitive center felt the pressure of his muscular thigh and Chloe was unable to quiet the raspy moan that left her lips. Clark unbuttoned the remainder of Chloe’s blouse, pulling it from the waistband of her skirt and spreading it open. He set his fingertips on her skin and ran them back, searching for the clasp.  
  
“Clark,” Chloe whispered with a labored breath. She reached up and flicked the front of her bra, the sides falling loose.   
  
Clark grinned like a Cheshire cat. He smoothed his palms up and over Chloe’s bare breasts, meeting her lips as she whimpered at the feel of his palms dragging across her pebbled nipples. He moved the cups to the sides and tucked them behind so they wouldn’t obscure his access. Wrapping an arm around Chloe once more, the other hand flattening to her side right under her breast, Clark delved down and caught a tight bud in his mouth. Chloe gritted her teeth and squeezed her thighs tighter around his hips. He lifted his mouth momentarily and wetted his thumb before returning to his prize, the slick digit now caressing the neglected peak on the other breast.   
 _  
“Oh, gawd,”_ Chloe rasped as her head fell back against the wall. She clung to the metal shelves of the rack, her knuckles white. She’d begun to pulse with an aching need between her thighs. Of their own accord, her hips began to undulate against Clark’s thigh. She cried out when Clark lifted his leg higher, pressing into her. When his tongue joined his lips, Chloe screamed from behind closed lips. She couldn’t take much more of this torture! With heavy breaths, Chloe grabbed hold of Clark’s hair and yanked him away from her breast. She fused their mouths together, her tongue sweeping inside, setting Clark’s insides to fire.  
  
She pulled away and plunged her hand in-between their bodies, ripping his belt from their loops and throwing it to the floor with a clang. “Clark,  _please!”_ Chloe begged him. She lowered her mouth again, kissing him gently. With her lips on top of his, she whispered. “Do me,  _now.”_  
  
Clark shivered. The mental images her words inspired caused him to jerk. Clenching his jaw, Clark lowered his leg and held Chloe to the wall with his pelvis. Her eyes were heavy lidded as she stared at him, her hazel eyes taking on more of a golden glow from the light shining through a high window. Never taking his eyes from hers, Clark seized the hem of her skirt and pushed it up around her waist. Bringing his hands back down, Clark dug into the flesh of her thighs, his fingers leaving red marks, his touch causing Chloe to writhe. He felt the silky material of her thigh-highs start around her mid-thigh, held in place by the satin strip of a garter belt. Clark knew from now on, anytime he saw Chloe in one of her pencil work skirts, he would become swollen just at the thought of the stockings hiding beneath. He ran his thumb under the elastic and snapped it; Chloe bit her lip. He saw goosebumps rise on her flesh. Enjoying the torture, Clark smirked as he ran one hand up the inside of her thigh and back down again. His fingers came back moist.   
  
Suddenly, Chloe’s eyes blazed. She reached forward and pushed at Clark’s chest until Clark had to hold her up with his hands or risk her falling. Once she had more range of motion, Chloe grasped Clark’s jeans and pushed them down enough she could get inside his boxers. Chloe’s urgency spilled into Clark. Hurriedly, Clark reached between Chloe’s thighs and ripped the fabric away from her body. Chloe, arching her back, didn’t even care. All she could think of was getting to Clark; of having him inside her where he was  _hers_ and hers  _only._  
  
Clark lifted Chloe by the hips as Chloe slowly withdrew him from his boxers. Clark’s eyes rolled back in his head at the feel of her small hand wrapping around him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward, groaning at the sight of Chloe leading him home with her hand. Clark’s fingers dug painfully into Chloe’s lush hips as he slid snugly inside her.  
  
“Yessssssss…” Chloe hissed; her hands under Clark’s arms at his back.  
  
Clark leaned into Chloe, trapping her between the wall and his body as he fought against the urge to loose himself already in Chloe’s body. It seemed each time became better, more intense, more heightened. Her body was like a burning vice and Clark was eager to plunder her buried treasure.   
  
Chloe waited patiently. When Clark had begun to enter her, she saw stars. At the moment, it was enough. But she needed more. She needed his hands on her body, she needed his breath on her neck, she needed him plunging between her thighs. Wrapping her limbs tightly around him, she turned her head and nibbled at his neck, humming with pleasure at the sensation of his long member. Catching one of his ear lobes in her teeth, Chloe moaned with the thought that she’d been able to welcome him without any discomfort. If she hadn’t been balanced on the edge of a glorious cliff she would have giggled at how turned on she’d become over a few words.  
  
With a deep breath, Clark drew back his hips and thrusted forward, catching Chloe off guard. Chloe buried her face in Clark’s neck, screaming into his skin. Maybe she wasn’t ready. All at once, Clark was holding her hips upward as he labored between her legs with steady strokes. Chloe opened her mouth, taking deep breaths to keep from moaning. She leaned back, looking into Clark’s dilated eyes, as he propelled them toward the fall. Setting her hands on his shoulders, all Chloe could do was enjoy the ride. She ran her fingers up and into Clark’s hair, pulling his head back. Clark licked his lips as Chloe hovered over them. With eyes open, Clark and Chloe clung to each other as their bodies moved in tandem. Chloe began to shake and Clark angled his thrusts higher so they would hit deeper inside her. She opened her mouth against Clark’s, tiny little moans escaping as Clark made furious love to her.  
  
Watching closely, Clark took in every little detail of Chloe’s face. It told so much about what she was feeling, even more than her words. When her eyes rolled back, Clark knew that she was close. Bringing up a hand to support her neck, Clark held Chloe’s face aloft so he could watch her. There were tears in her eyes.  
  
She shook her head, her blonde hair becoming even messier than it was. She sucked in big gulps of breath. She balled her hands into fists and beat his back.  _“So good! So good!”_ She sobbed. Her eyes widened. “Clark, oh gawd, Clark! Oh, sh*t, Clark!”  
  
He put all he could into his hips and pressed her harder into the wall.   
  
“Chloe, look at me.”  
  
Chloe focused as best she could on him. In seconds, her body was tensing and then writhing. When she opened her mouth, Clark lurched forward, pressing his mouth to hers as she screamed. Her body convulsed and she spasmed around him, continuing to scream into his mouth, her hands yanking the fabric of his shirt. Chloe squeezed her thighs around him, pressing her ankles to his legs to hang on.   
  
Utterly spent, Chloe sagged against Clark, her head lolling on his shoulders as she continued to clench deliciously around him. Clark could feel his own climax beginning. Cupping Chloe’s ass and pulling her hips closer, Clark continued delving into her, feeling Chloe’s body began tighten once more. Turning her head inward, Chloe scraped her teeth along Clark’s neck, running tongue behind along his salty skin. Clark’s eyes rolled back in his head and his hips jerked as pleasure broke out over his skin. He clenched his teeth together and groaned as he pressed Chloe back against the wall. Chloe panted in his ear; her chest heaving against his cotton t-shirt. Their bodies were locked in a tight embrace as they reveled in the shared sensations. Chloe closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tighter around Clark. She shivered slightly.  
  
There was a loud rap against the fogged glass of the supply closet door.  
  
Clark and Chloe stilled even more, both hearts racing. They both watched the door with wide eyes. The shadow knocked again, louder.  
  
“Chloe?”  
  
Clark pressed his lips together as he recognized Jimmy’s voice. Chloe turned Clark’s head and kissed him sweetly.   
  
“I have to go,” Chloe whispered.   
  
Clark glared at her. He hated Jimmy for stealing Chloe away from him; hated Chloe for wanting to leave.  
  
Chloe narrowed her eyes. “Clark.”  
  
Clark pushed away from the wall and let Chloe down.   
  
“Chloe, are you in there?” Jimmy called out petulantly.   
  
“Yes, Jimmy, and she’ll be right out!” Clark yelled back angrily.  
  
“Clark!” Chloe hissed. She slapped him lightly, even though she knew it would do no good.  
  
“What?” Clark replied with a shrug of a big shoulder.  
  
“Way to be grown up,” Chloe said snidely as she righted her clothing.  
  
“Hey, I am not the one running out every time something gets real between us!” Clark exclaimed as Chloe walked to the door, tucking himself quickly back into his pants.  
  
Chloe whirled on Clark, her eyes sparking with emerald fire. “Real?” Chloe growled. “You call  _this_ real?”   
  
Chloe yelled back as she waved a hand at the wall. “No, Clark, this isn’t  _real!_ This is sexual hormones run amok! This is  _you_ filling the void Lana left with  _me_ as usual! And per status quo, I let you.” She turned and yanked open the door, revealing Jimmy, Lois and a few other Planet workers standing on the other side listening intently.   
  
Clark quelled at the sight of all the people staring unabashedly at him. Fighting the urge to blush, Clark chased after Chloe as she rounded the corner and disappeared. He caught up with her at her desk as she tore her coat from her chair and shoved it on.  
  
“Chloe-“  
 _  
“No!”_ Chloe screamed, slamming her hands down on her desk. She took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself. She’d given in again. She’d let herself get wrapped up in the moment, in him and in everything she had always wanted but never had the courage to take. Chloe shook her head. The deeper Clark penetrated, the weaker the stone walls around her heart became. Steeling herself, she raised her face, eyes cold and empty. Clark drew back, not recognizing the woman behind Chloe’s eyes. Titling her chin upward, she swiped her purse off her desk. “The next time you need an escort service, you look in the yellow pages. I’m a reporter;  _not a hooker_.”  
  
Clark stumbled back as Chloe passed him; as if she’d physically landed a blow to his stomach, making it hard to breathe. He watched her stalk from the Bullpen, parting the gathered crowd like the Red Sea. She barked for Jimmy to follow and the young photographer ran after her like a whipped pup. Before he was out of sight, Jimmy turned and pinned Clark with a look of such triumph that Clark felt himself barrel toward the smaller man. He found his path blocked by Lois.  
  
“Hold up there, Hanky Pank,” Lois said as she pushed him back by the shoulders. “You and I need to have a little talk.”  
  


~ ~ ~

  
Clark found himself once again shuffled into an enclosed room, an irritated woman glaring at him. “Lois, I just got reamed by one irrational woman; I don’t feel like repeating the process,” Clark growled, trying to step past Lois.  
  
“Ah!” Lois barked, slapping at his wrist.   
  
Clark withdrew quickly, acting like it hurt when all it had done was startle him.  
  
“What?!” Clark barely yelled.  
  
Lois cocked an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. “One. Don’t call my cousin an irrational woman, ‘kay? Two. I think I may be able to help you.”  
  
Clark scoffed. “ _You?_ Help  _me?_ With  _Chloe?”_  
  
“Yes, Clark!” Lois snapped. “Believe it or not, but I kinda sorta like you. I also think you kinda sorta like my cousin who I know for a fact she  _really_ kinda sorta likes you! So, I’m gonna let you in on the secret to winning Chloe. Are you ready?”  
  
Clark eyed Lois carefully. “Lois, I don’t-“  
  
“Oh my gawd, Clark!” Lois said with clenched teeth. She stalked over to him and pushed him into a chair, trapping him in the seat as she leaned down, both hands on the arm rests. “Are you that incapable of taking some direction? Or do you want to lose the best thing that you will  _ever_ have in your life because you are being pig-headed?”  
  
Clark closed his mouth and regarded Lois sullenly. Lois sighed and turned away, dragging a chair over for her. She sat down, knee to knee with Clark.  
  
“Let’s try this again, Clark. Would you like my help?”  
  
“Do I have a choice?”  
  
Lois screwed up her mouth like she was thinking. “Nope, you really don’t because you and Chloe are making this  _w-a-a-a-a-a-y_ more complicated than it needs to be. And you’re the one who’s got to fix it.”  
  
“Why me?” Clark replied petulantly. “She’s the one who keeps running away!”  
  
Lois narrowed her eyes. “Clark, in the supply closet, where were you?”  
  
Clark stared at Lois, confused. “I’m not sure what you mean.”  
  
“ _Where were you?”_ Lois said slower, enunciating the words.  
  
“Saying it slowed, Lois, doesn’t clear up anything. It just makes me think you think I’m dumb.”  
  
“Because you are!” Lois blazed back. “Clark, you and Chloe just had a quickie, in the supply closet of the Daily Planet,  _where she works._ What did you expect? Some romantic canoodling? She had work to do!”  
  
Clark’s mortification was almost complete. He shook his head, looking anywhere but Lois. “You know, Lois, I don’t really feel comfortable with this conversation.”  
  
“And neither do I, but since you are refusing to talk to Chloe I guess I am the next best thing, aren’t I?”  
  
Clark met Lois’ eyes again. “I am not the only one who was in that closet, Lois! I am not the only one in this! It takes two to…” Clark trailed off.  
  
“Tango?” Lois teased. She smiled and sat back. “I agree. Chloe is just as guilty as you are. But, Clark, you know how she feels. You’ve always known. You have never had to wonder when it came to Chloe where you stood. I can’t believe for a second that you have been that oblivious to Chloe’s feelings for you. Let’s face it; Chloe has a sucky poker face.”  
  
“So, what are you saying? That it’s all on me?”  
  
“Yeah, I am.” Lois scooted closer, looking into Clark’s eyes so he couldn’t avoid her serious stare. “The ball has always been in your court, Clark. You think you’ve given all the control to her, but you haven’t. You need to tell her that you love her before it’s too late.”  
  
Clark looked up sharply at Lois who was grinning.   
  
“You have a sucky poker face, too.”  
  
Clark fell back against the creaky chair. “If you can see it, why can’t she?”  
  
Lois shrugged. “Maybe she can, but doesn’t believe it. No offense, Clark, but you send off  _a lot_ of mixed signals.”  
  
“And I’ve always pushed her away. I wanted to keep her close, but I was always scared of being  _too_ close.”  
  
“This explains why you can  _sleep_  with her, but not tell her you  _love_  her. Yeah, that makes total sense, Smallville,” Lois needled.  
  
Clark ran his fingers through his hair, blowing out a hard sigh. “She’s really mad, Lois. I think this is the maddest she’s ever been at me.”  
  
“Part of me really enjoys seeing you in her bad graces,” Lois told him candidly. “The other part of me hates it because is I know how miserable she is when she is mad at you.”  
  
“Glad to know I have your support,” Clark responded with sarcasm.  
  
Lois slapped his knee before standing. “You just gotta take the bull by the horns and make sure Chloe knows  _exactly_ how you feel. I may be crossing enemy lines here and committing an act of heinous treason, but she feels the same way about you. She loves you so much she doesn’t know what to do. She’s scared that this is just some rebound fling but she wants to be with you.”  
  
Clark couldn’t look Lois in the eye. “I want to be with her, too,” he said quietly to the floor. “I’ve always wanted her. I just didn’t know it until there was nothing in my way.”  
  
“Like a Lana-shaped detour sign?” Lois retorted derisively.  
  
Clark finally got the courage to look up at Lois. “Thanks, Lois. Really, I know we’ve never-“  
  
Lois groaned. “Please, Smallville. We’ve already had one heart to heart today and that was too much.” She walked to the door, Clark following her. “Just… Keep the tractor in the barn and away from the fields, okay? At least until you’ve prepared for the harvest.”  
  
“Thanks for the… Advice.”  
  
“Anytime,” Lois replied as she opened the door and exited.   
  
“Lois?” Clark said from behind her.  
  
She turned. “Smallville.”  
  
“Do me a favor, will you?”  
  
Lois crossed her arms. “Depends.”  
  
Clark edged out the door and turned on her. “Don’t  _ever_  talk about my ‘tractor’ again.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chloe let out a ragged sigh as she climbed the stairs to her apartment about the Talon. She blinked and yawned, the long day taking its toll on her. She and Jimmy had been working non-stop for the past two days preparing their follow-up piece for the Sunday Morning Edition, the most widely read issue. Chloe had to go back and confirm the old leads, follow-up with the new ones she’d found and interview the same people one more time. Jimmy had only needed to refresh his old shots and take some new ones, but he still tagged along with Chloe and then helped arrange where his photos would correspond with her words. It really was a joint effort. If only it hadn’t been so awkward with Clark hanging between them. She groaned. Even now, Clark was still between her and Jimmy. Clark would be between her and anyone who was crazy enough to try and get close to her. She would never be rid of Clark.  
  
Cresting the top of the stairs, Chloe dug around in her purse for her keys, finding them and sliding the correct key into the lock. Clark was always with her, even here. She fought a blush as she was reminded of Clark sliding into her as this key slid into the lock, fitting perfectly to unlock the door. Clark unlocked something inside her when he made love to her.  
  
 _"No,"_  Chloe corrected herself harshly. "Screwed. Banged.  _Plowed.”_ There was nothing even remotely connected to love with what they did.  
  
She pushed open the door and stepped into the dim apartment. It had been almost midnight when she left the Planet; it was close to two-thirty now. Chloe leaned back against the door as it closed, relieved to finally be home. She smiled blissfully. The comforting sound of silence met her ears. She had the small apartment to herself tonight with Lois out of town visiting Old Uncle Sam for his birthday. She made a mental note to stop by the Wild Coyote and sweet talk Oscar out of some of his house special. Lois would need it after three solid days on General duty.  
  
Standing at the door, Chloe kicked off her pumps and let her purse drop to the floor. Padding forward on bare feet, she dropped her keys into a little bowl on the counter that separated the living area from the kitchen. Chloe rolled her shoulders, anticipating the moment she would sink down into a tub of hot water and bubbles.  
  
The apartment was dark save for the moonlight wafting in through the kitchen window. Not bothering to turn on a light, Chloe made her way to the bedroom. Rounding the bed, she stubbed her toe on something solid and heavy. Crying out, she lost her balance, falling towards the floor until strong arms steadied her at her waist. Her cry turned to a scream of fear and she lashed out with an attempt at a vicious slap to her intruder. A large hand caught her fist and laid it gently against his chest while he imprisoned her other arm behind her back. Bringing Chloe close, he breathed in her ear, a soothing and reassuring, “Shhh…”  
  
“Clark?” Chloe whispered frantically.  
  
Clark nodded against her hair, pressing his lips against her neck in a chaste kiss.  
  
Anger welled up in Chloe’s body. “Clark!” She yelled. She pulled out of his arms and pushed a stunned Clark back, resulting in him falling to the bed. Chloe reached over and turned on the lamp on the bedside table. Looking back at Clark and his wide-eyed expression, Chloe crossed her arms and glared at him. “Just what the hell do you think you are doing?!”  
  
Clark sat up, a sheepish expression gracing his face. He cleared his throat. “I was waiting for you.”  
  
“To do what?” Chloe demanded. “Break my foot?” Chloe turned away from him and went into the bathroom, pulling the shower curtain back and stuffing the plug into the drain. She came back out the find Clark still sitting on the bed. He looked at her hesitantly. She raised her eyebrows, indicating she was still waiting for an explanation.  
  
“I-  _We…_ need to talk,” Clark began.  
  
Chloe growled in her throat. She brushed passed him once again and headed for her dresser. Opening the top drawer, she threw over her shoulder, “We really don’t, Clark. We really don’t need to rehash all the moments of insanity.” Chloe pulled out some clean underwear and tossed them on the bed. Clark was disappointed when he saw they were just white bikinis. He flicked his eyes back to her as she closed the top drawer and opened another one, this time pulling out an oversized night shirt and tossed that on the bed, as well. Pushing that drawer closed she moved to the closet and opened the door, reaching in and pulling the string for the light.   
  
“What we need to do is forget that any of that ever happened,” Chloe continued talking, more to herself than to him, Clark concluded. She pulled her blouse from the waistband of her skirt, pausing to undo the belt she had on and let it fall to the floor. When she turned, she was undoing the buttons of her blouse from the bottom up. She rounded the bed again and went into the bathroom, closing the door.  
  
Clark shook himself, knowing if he didn’t get in the game Chloe would play the whole thing without him. He stood and walked to the door. He lifted his voice, making sure she would hear him.   
  
“I’m not sure I want to forget about it, Chlo,” Clark said timidly.   
  
The door swung open to reveal Chloe, a robe thrown over her clothes. Clark immediately zoned in on the blouse, undone and flapping open to reveal a pretty yellow bra and Chloe’s smooth skin. She held her nude fishnets in a balled fist. Clark met her eyes and she looked at him with skeptical eyes.  
  
“Clark, you’re always the one who wants to make sure this equilibrium we have never gets disturbed. I am trying to help you do that. You know what?” Chloe stopped in frustration. She pressed her face to her hands before running her fingers through her hair. She blew out a breath before looking at Clark. “I think you need to leave. No, I  _want_ you to leave.”  
  
“Chloe?”   
  
Chloe looked up at him. “I’m serious, Clark. You need to leave. Now. Please. I can’t deal with this,” Chloe finished.  
  
Clark’s jaw tightened. He knew she was pushing him away. Well, he wasn’t going to let her this time. When Chloe made to brush past him, Clark reached out and grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place. She raised her eyes again, staring at him defiantly.  
  
“Let me go, Clark. Let me go and get out.” Her voice was cold and hard.  
  
Clark breathed in through his nose. “No.”  
  
Chloe’s eyes widened and Clark saw a flicker of fear. He knew she was expecting him to duck and run at any opportunity. She’d been counting on it.  
  
“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” Chloe began measuredly. “I’m not your little f*ck buddy. So whatever you were looking for when you came here is not going to happen.” Chloe shrugged and Clark’s hands slipped for her. “Looks like it’s just you and your hand tonight.”  
  
Chloe spun and walked quickly to the bathroom, pushing the door forcefully closed behind her. Chloe turned when she didn’t hear it connect with the frame. She saw Clark’s hand grasping the door and pushing it open. He stood in the doorway, large and looming, a menacing silhouette against the warm glow of the lamp. Taking a few steps backwards, Chloe felt the bathroom counter behind her. Clark discarded his jacket and let it fall to the floor. He walked slowly over to her, gazing at Chloe with soft eyes. Chloe’s chest heaved from labored breath; both from desire and panic.   
  
Clark reached a hand out and slipped it inside Chloe’s robe, pressing it against the soft skin of her belly. Chloe’s breath caught at his touch. She bit her bottom lip as Clark cupped her neck with his other hand, tilting her face upward. Chloe’s eyes fluttered closed, waiting to receive Clark’s kiss. She was expecting Clark to kiss her but it still surprised her when he did. It was not hard or urgent; it was gentle and unhurried. As he cupped her neck, continually guiding her head back into his hand, his other hand ran around her back to pull her flush against him. Chloe attempted to be stiff, but couldn’t stop herself from responding to Clark’s kiss as much as a wood can’t resist catching fire when it meets a flame.   
  
Wrapping her arms around Clark’s shoulders, Chloe kissed Clark back, opening her mouth willing and wantonly when Clark’s tongue played at the seam of hers. Tightening his arm, Clark lifted Chloe and placed her on the counter, nudging between her thighs, much like he did the first day this all started. Clark grasped both the robe and the blouse and pushed them from Chloe’s slender body, revealing her creamy shoulders and her supple breasts lying in wait in butter colored lace. The role fell down her arms, coming to land at her elbows as her hands caressed Clark’s face, leaving his mouth to kiss his jawline and down his neck.   
  
Buttons began to be undone, Clark reached to the side and slid the zipper down on Chloe’s skirt, holding her close as his hands worked to rid her of her clothing. Chloe reclined back, finished the buttons on Clark’s shirt. She met his eyes, her heart skipping a beat at the boyish grin on his face; an expression she hadn’t seen during their time together. He looked excited and confused. Chloe cocked her head and returned his grin. Clark fell on her, his mouth gnawing at her shoulder as Chloe gasped in his ear. Gone was his finesse and bravado from previous encounters; in their place were fumbling fingers and shuffling feet.   
  
Clark leaned over Chloe on the counter, bracing himself on his hands. Chloe opened her legs wider, hugging his hips between her knees. Something was different. Chloe couldn’t figure out what it was, but something was different about this time. As Clark’s large hands kneaded her bare thighs, Chloe felt  _him._ And not that delicious part of him that she’d come to crave, but the essence of Clark Kent. Every time before had been mind-blowing, but Chloe had felt slightly hollow after each time. Maybe a wall had finally broken down and Clark had finally –  
  
Clark growled in her ear, hands leaving her thighs and sliding upward, grasping her hips and scooting her roughly forward. Chloe’s eyes fluttered open. She quirked a brow. His face was arranged in a haughty mask, one of a man who was aware of his sexual prowess and knew just how to wield it. The change struck Chloe. This wasn’t Clark. This was not  _her_ Clark. She swallowed and trembled slightly as the man between her thighs lifted his shadowed eyes to hers.  
  
He cocked his head. “What were you saying earlier about…  _F*cking?”_ He said the expletive slowly, savoring it on his tongue.   
  
With wide and wary eyes, Chloe watched Clark reach over her and wipe the counter clean with a mighty sweep of his arm. Bottles of lotion, perfume and hair products along with discarded jewelry and bobby pins clattered to the floor and began to roll away. And just as Clark laid a full hand on Chloe’s bra-clad breast, something glowed as it rolled into the shaft of moonlight. Searching the contents of her bathroom, Chloe’s eyes latched onto the bottle of lotion that now finally came to rest in the corner opposite of them. The sight made Chloe’s stomach curdle. It was glowing; the shade of a vibrant ruby.  
  
“Get away from me, Clark,” Chloe mumbled as she pushed him away from her.  
  
Clark furrowed his brow and allowed the blonde to slip from his arms. “Where are you going?” He asked indignantly as Chloe bounded over to the corner of the bathroom and snatched something up in her hand.   
  
Chloe raced from the bathroom, feeling Clark hot on her heels. When she reached the kitchen, she spun to face him.   
  
 _“Stop!”_ She screamed. “Don’t come any closer!”  
  
Clark stopped; eyeing her suspiciously.  
  
“Chloe, what –“  
  
“You see this?” Chloe demanded, holding up the bottle that was now an innocent color of bubblegum.  
  
Clark looked at the bottle in Chloe’s hand and then met her eyes, which were guarded and surprisingly hurt. He nodded, shaking his head a little, waiting for the blood to leave a certain place so he could start thinking properly.  
  
“Clark, do you realize what this is?”  
  
Clark focused his eyes.   
  
“It’s lotion. Looks like it’s supposed to smell like Roses.”  
  
“Exactly,” Chloe replied. “And it does! And you know where I got this? Lois!” Chloe hurriedly began perusing the back of the bottle. “Aha!” She cried a moment later. “I told her to not trust  _anything_ that comes from homeopathic stores around here! It’s red meteor rock, Clark! This is what’s been causing our little sex-scapades for the past few days! You’ve been getting randy from red rock dust and apparently, I am just hard up. What a lovely little romance courtesy of ‘Wish Upon a Star’!”   
  
Chloe marched over to the window above the kitchen sink, opened it and chucked the bottle out; watching as the bottle landed and thankfully splatted on the pavement below. She gave a sharp sigh and turned back to Clark.   
  
“Don’t go out back when you leave. We don’t want to risk you getting infected again. Who knows who you might meet next,” Chloe told him matter-of-factly. She pressed her lips into a thin line and shuffled nervously. Realizing her robe still flapped around her elbows, Chloe quickly yanked it up and cinched it tightly around her waist. She cleared her throat. “We have to shut that woman down, Clark!” Chloe blazed on, desperately filling the silence until Clark took up his part of the ‘chalk it up to the risks of living in Kryptonite Central’ conversation. “First Lois’ lipstick and now this? Can you imagine what would have happened if it had been anyone but me wearing that stuff?” Chloe broke into an anxious giggle.   
  
Clark finally felt his head clearing. He shook it for good measure. “That lotion had Red K in it?”  
  
“Yes! That is what I have been saying! That crazy curate uses crushed up meteor rock in her products and calls it ‘Stardust’ to give you an added glow. I could  _kill_ Lois! You'd think she'd learn her lesson the last time!”  
  
Clark blinked and then grinned. “Okay, you got rid of it. No harm, no foul. But you’re right. We need to report her to the FDA. She shouldn’t be using untested meteor rocks in products and then selling them. And we can do that later.”  
  
“Later?” Chloe asked with lifted brows.  
  
The blush came back into Clark’s cheeks. “Well, I kinda thought… I mean… We were in the middle of something…”  
  
“Clark!” Chloe exclaimed.  
  
“What?”   
  
Chloe shook her head and pressed her temples, closing her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, they guarded.   
  
“Each time we… I had been wearing that lotion. It wasn’t just tonight that you came in contact with it. Lois bought it for me and I hadn’t used it until I got back from the Islands. The first time I put it on was the morning I came out to see you. You remember what happened?” Chloe looked down at her feet. “It’s my fault. I should have read the bottle.”  
  
“That explains it,” Clark breathed.  
  
Chloe gave an ironic smile. “Yep. It was the Red K that put you in the romantic mood.”  
  
Clark shook his head. “No, it wasn’t.”  
  
Chloe furrowed her brows as she looked at him.  
  
“No, Chloe, it wasn’t Red K that made me want you,” he continued strongly.  
  
“Clark, look, you don’t have to do this. I’m a big girl. I understand how the world works. It’s not surprising, really. Lana had left, you were upset and I am sure it’s been a long,  _looong_  time for you. You’re kinda powerless when it comes to Red K.”   
  
Her eyes were round and way too bright, tears threatening just at the corners. Clark had seen that look so many times. And so many times, it had terrified him because it meant there was a danger of something hidden spilling out between them; the monster they kept under the bed was peeking out. Tonight, there was no monster; only the flimsy barrier they’d carefully constructed to keep their relationship in check. Except, as it is with flimsy barriers, one quick thrust brings them crashing down. Clark watched Chloe hastily trying to build another one. Only this time, she wouldn’t be allowed to erect anything between them. Clark smirked at his thought. Well, maybe  _one_ thing.  
  
“Chloe,” Clark said softly as she continued to babble.  
  
Chloe stopped, not even aware of what she’d been saying. Just talking; hoping he’d nod and then run out of here with his tails tucked between his legs. Like he always did when things wandered a little too close to the things they didn’t talk about. Like the way she always was relieved he did.  
  
“Chloe,” he began again, meeting her gaze frankly. “You know Red K only dampens my inhibitions. It doesn’t make me do things I don’t want to do. I wanted to make love to you when I walked into the Talon tonight to wait for you. I haven’t been able to think of anything else since that first time in the kitchen. The only thing Red K has made me do that I didn’t want to do already was talk things over with you. Even tonight! We need to talk about this but I knew what I wanted. If you were wearing that lotion, it explains why every time I was around you, I had to have you right then.”  
  
“That’s because it’s filled with aphrodisiac scents, Clark! It was a mixture of rose, vanilla and jasmine. All are aphrodisiacs. Combine them with Red K and  _you,_ you’re a walking sex-bomb! And think about it, you were always…” Chloe stopped and then rolled her eyes. She could say it; she’d seen and felt it enough. “You were always hard. Even after we both came, you were still hard.”  
  
“So maybe Red K had something to do with that. Is it really something you’re gonna complain about?” Clark questioned incredulously.  
  
Chloe’s mouth opened in shock. “Clark, if you came in contact with any other woman or, who even knows,  _man,_ wearing that lotion, do you realize what might happen?”  
  
“Nothing would happen!”  
  
“You don’t know that!”  
  
“Yes, I do!”  
  
“How do you know that?”  
  
“Because they wouldn’t be  _you!”_    
  
Chloe pulled up short as he yelled at her, shoulders bracing and broad. Clark closed the distance between them, crossing the space in a few steps, not giving Chloe time to duck behind a chair or around the table. He grabbed Chloe’s upper arms, pulling her flush against him, fitting her where she could feel every long, lean,  _hard_ line of his body. Heat flared in Chloe’s cheeks and her eyes widened as she stared up at him.   
  
“You threw the lotion out the window probably ten minutes ago and I  _still_ want you. I  _still_ want to throw you down on that bed and do anything I can to convince you that this is  _me_ and not some damn meteor rock!”  
  
Chloe swallowed. “Clark, I put the lotion on this morning. I don’t know how long it takes to wear off,” she told him softly.  
  
Clark growled in frustration in the back of his throat. She was determined to do what she could to make sure he couldn’t claim any of the physical attraction between them was there purely because he wanted her more than he’d wanted anything in his life.  
  
“Fine,” Clark replied. “Then we’ll just have to do something about that, won’t we?”


	11. Chapter 11

Clark reached out and grabbed Chloe’s hand as she pulled the lapels of her robe together and hauled her behind him. He marched to the bathroom, Chloe sprinting behind him to keep up.  
  
“Clark, what are you doing?”  
  
Looking down at her, Clark arched a brow and grasped the flannel shirt that was still hanging open and shrugged it off his shoulders, nodding to Chloe to do the same.  
  
Mirroring his eyebrows, Chloe’s jaw went slack. “Excuse me?”  
  
Clark sighed. Standing in just his jeans and boots, Clark toed the boots off before pushing Chloe’s hands away that were hovering in the vicinity of the robe tie at her waist. The only thing that could explain Chloe’s own lack of movement was shock. Shock that Clark was not running in the other direction as fast as his super-powered legs could carry him. He took the sash that keep her robe together and pulled, loosening the knot and then whipping the fabric off her body. Making quick work of the rest of her clothing, Chloe soon stood in just her bra and panties. When Clark circled behind her to undo her bra, Chloe sparked to life.  
  
“Just what the hell do you think you are doing?” She cried, dancing away from him and attempting cover herself.  
  
Clark’s guffaw was more like a bark in the back of this throat. “Chloe, are you really trying to hide yourself from me? X-ray vision, for one, and two, I’ve seen more of your body these past few days than my own.”  
  
The comment caused Chloe to shoot daggers at him but she lowered her arms. “I’m not getting in that shower with you. Did you not hear anything I said in the kitchen _? Red kryptonite_ ,” Chloe enunciated the words carefully and slowly.  
  
“There is nothing wrong with my hearing, Chlo,” Clark replied back, crossing his arms. “The only thing I can think to make sure there is no leftover Red K residue is to shower and make sure it’s all off. And that is what we are going to do.”  
  
 _“We?”_  Chloe repeated.  
  
Clark nodded. “That is what I said.”  
  
“That is fine, Clark. But I can shower on my own and I think you should, too.”  
  
“Nope,” Clark stated defiantly. “You want to be sure that the Red K is not the only reason I have been jumping your bones and you’re gonna get it. So, we shower together. Unless, you don’t think you can control yourself.” Clark’s lips lifted in a smirk on his last phrase, knowing Chloe could never resist a challenge or being proved wrong. His smirk turned into a full grin when he saw her features settle into steel.  
  
“Fine,” she agreed through gritted teeth. Reaching behind her, holding Clark’s gaze, she undid her bra and pulled it from her.   
  
Clark breathed in deeply through his nostrils, determined to not be the one to break; especially since he so desperately needed to prove his point. He watched as she grasped the flimsy fabric at her hips and pushed them down, stepping daintily out of the scrap of silk and tossing them with toe over with her bra. Clark’s mouth went dry.   
  
Chloe lifted her brows. “You’re turn.”  
  
Clark fought the goofy grin that spread across his face. He undid his belt and then unbuttoned his jeans, removing jeans, boxers and socks all in one yank. He threw them over with his shirt and turned back to Chloe. He regarded Chloe as she chewed her bottom lip, her eyes centered on one thing. Clark looked down. It was not surprising.   
  
He could tell there was something missing. The all-consuming need to grab Chloe and bury himself inside her was gone. The want was still there and Clark knew when the two of them stepped into the shower it would be even more difficult to resist the temptation and the allure of her body. Right now, he was thinking clearly and he was grateful. Knowing that it was the Red K that made his body uncontrollable made him feel better than the thought he was just some sex-starved alien or even worse, a nymphomaniac who didn’t care about Chloe’s safety. He still wanted sex and he wanted sex with Chloe, but he wanted more than just that. And he was now finally in a place where he could get it. While the Red K had essentially made things a little more challenging with Chloe, it also pushed them into a place where try as hard as they might, they couldn’t ignore things anymore. And god knew Clark was done with ignoring. He knew what he wanted and he was going to get it. A new-found confidence spread throughout Clark’s body as he allowed his eyes to drink Chloe in.   
  
“You sure you can deal with this?” Chloe asked sarcastically, needing to hide the emotional desire that was coursing through her veins. Did she really want to know that is was the Red K that made Clark react the way he did? Was he hard now because he truly wanted her? Or was it because there was still Red K spiked lotion coating her skin? Or was he like any other male: the sight of a naked woman had him ready and willing?  
  
To answer her question, Clark pushed back the shower curtain and reached in, turned on the water and switched it to shower spray. He held open the curtain and bowed. “Ladies first.”  
  
Chloe sauntered past him, her skin the color of a pretty, ripe peach ready for plucking. She stepped into the tub with help from Clark who followed her quickly, pulling the shower curtain closed. Chloe gasped when she realized that the shower curtain cut off all light, leaving them alone in the seductive blackness. Her body began compensating for the loss of sight; she could hear Clark’s even breaths behind her, she could feel the warm water hitting her front that soon turned lukewarm compared to the delicious burn from the heat radiating off the skin of the man crowding behind her. She bit back a moan when Clark stepped up closer, fusing his front to her back, reaching around her to grasp one of the loofahs that hung from the shower head. Chloe bit back a moan at the hard lines of Clark’s stomach, his strong thighs and the insistent nudging of his erection at her back. Was it too late to cry for mercy?  
  
Withdrawing with the loofah in his hand, Clark took great care to keep his breathing steady. He had intended for this to be purely clinical; give her a quick and thorough washing to ensure that whatever was left behind swirled down the drain. There was nothing clinical about what was happening here. However, Clark realized because of the Red K, he’d been remiss in foreplay between the two of them. A wicked grin graced his handsome face as he decided to remedy that here and now. Holding the loofah in one hand and grabbing a bottle of bodywash in another hand, Clark took the moment to lower his mouth the Chloe’s naked shoulder and kissed her chastely. Her heart rate accelerated and her breaths came out in short puffs. Liking the response, Clark opened his mouth and raked his teeth gently along her smooth skin, a whimper escaping from her lips before she clamped her mouth quickly shut. Following the path he was sure he made with his teeth, Clark laid slow kisses along the line of her shoulder, enjoying the way Chloe sagged against him and then shot straight up again, holding herself away from him. A predatory side that Clark was completely unaware of began to be unearthed. This was different than the Red K. Under Red K, Clark wanted to take and take and all that mattered was the need. Now, he wanted to conquer, he wanted surrender, but the chase was becoming quite enjoyable. There was patience in it and a sense of victory. Yes, this is what he’d been missing with Red K.  
  
He took a step back and squeezed some bodywash onto the loofah. Chloe realized Clark had the upper-hand here. His superior senses, he could hear her stilted moans and her shallow breaths, no doubt her hammering heart. He could probably smell her arousal and she was sure he could see better than she could. She was trapped in a small, dark prison between the water slickening her skin and the large manly frame behind her. And she didn’t know where else she would rather be at the moment. She was sure Clark was still reacting to the Red K in the lotion but why not enjoy this last time? Why not give herself over to the feelings, to the pleasure, she was so sure wouldn’t last past tonight? Over the years she’d sacrificed, making sure to keep things comfortable for Clark. Not tonight. Tonight was for her. After almost eight years of friendship, she felt she was owed at least that much from him. So when the loofah again met the skin of her back, Chloe did nothing to disguise the satisfied sound that rolled out of her.  
  
Making sweeping circles around her skin, Clark let his other hand hold her in places as he massaged the scented scrub into her skin with the loofah, following the trail of the mesh with his lips. Moving the hair from her neck, Clark pressed open mouthed kisses down the line of her neck as he washed her shoulders, following her spine as he washed lower, holding her waist in one hand. He knelt in a deep squat, catching her shiver as he began tracing a pattern along her lower cheeks with his tongue as he washed her thighs. He journeyed down her calves and finally to her feet. Being almost complete with the back, Clark eyed the plump flesh in front of him. He wrapped an arm around her hips and pulled her back, pressing his mouth to her round backside, which he had never truly appreciated until now. Chloe giggled throatily, wiggling a little. Wanting to remind her of who was in control at the moment, Clark nipped her gently causing her to yelp. He flattened his hand over her lower belly, holding her still as he soothed the love bite with his warm tongue. Clark grinned when he heard her staccato breathing and the way she trembled, her hands fisted as her sides. She swallowed, waiting. Clark mimicked his actions on the other side, only a little harder. Chloe didn’t yelp this time; she growled low in her throat and grabbed his wrist, steadying herself. A surreal sort of feeling came over her as she realized Clark Kent just bit her on the ass. And she had liked it; wanted him to do it again, in fact. She waited with bated breath as Clark rolled his tongue against her flesh, showing tenderness to the spot he’d just no doubt left teeth marks. Her skin pebbled into gooseflesh when she realized she’d probably had two or three other possessive marks on her body after this.   
  
Chloe’s heart thundered when she felt Clark beginning to turn her around. She was trembling; partly from the intense edge of her arousal but also because this was different. Clark had never spent this much time working her into a puddle of limbs. The word adoringly flew around terrified in her mind. As much as she tried to fight it, this time felt more real than any of the others. Following his lead, Chloe turned around, eyes peering into the darkness, just making out his head as he knelt before her. Chloe could tell he was looking up at her. Tentatively, Chloe opened a hand and laid a palm against his cheek. He leaned into her touch, tuning his head to press his lips to her hand. He leaned forward, leaning his forehead against her lower belly, causing her stomach to swoop. He stilled, seeming to breathe her in. Chloe ran her fingers through his damp hair, her fingers working out the tangles that formed from the humidity of the shower spray. He began slowing showering her with kisses and Chloe held back tears at the tenderness of his movements. Once again, he took up the loofah and began to wash. She was a little disheartened when he skipped the place she was longing for him to attend to but was soon distracted as he made his way upward. He seemed a little rushed as he ran the loofah over her breasts, a little softer than he had the rest of her body. Having finished, Clark hung the loofah back on the shower head and then stood towering over Chloe. She could barely see his features in the dark. He ducked under the spray himself, wetting his hair properly and then pushing it back. His hands finally found Chloe’s waist again and Clark pulled her flush with his own body, a throaty groan filtering out when they were finally pressed skin to skin.   
  
Clark held her tightly; scared of what would happen when he let her go. Because when he released her, the ball would be in her court. She would be in control of their future. Just a little bit longer, he told himself. Since she wouldn’t listen to his words, Clark had been trying to tell her other ways with his mouth. Continuing with his chosen method of communication, Clark ducked his head, his mouth searching for hers, sighing when he found it. Her lips were pliant and eager under his, pressing firmly and opening when he asked. Holding her close, fitting her perfectly into the contours of his larger body, Clark poured all his feelings, all his wants and needs into his kiss, stealing the air from Chloe’s lungs as she clung to his shoulders. Chloe didn’t want the kiss to end; because when it did, she’d beg Clark to stay. She would promise to do whatever he wanted; as long as he always made her feel this way. Tongues began to wrestle, teeth began to gnash, hands began to dig into flesh. Soon, Chloe felt herself lifted up. With a glad heart, she wrapped her legs around Clark’s waist, sitting on his hips. She moaned when his erection hit her stomach but her disappointment didn’t last for long when Clark began suckling harshly down her neck. She rolled her hips, signaling to Clark how ready she was for him; sure he knew just how far he’d stretched her. Like she had in the Planet, she reached between them and grasped him firmly, running her hand along the length of him, pulling him closer to where she wanted him. Clark made a noise in the back of his throat and froze, pressing his face into the crook of Chloe’s neck. The stillness in his frame made Chloe’s breath hit his shoulder in hot whooshes, afraid she’d done something wrong. Tears flooded her eyes when she realized that the Red K was probably gone and Clark had finally come back to himself. She caught a sob between her lips. She let go on his shaft, careful not to touch him fully as she sat precariously on his hips.  
  
Steadying his breathing, Clark stood still for a long time, gaining control. He’d almost toppled them over the edge again. Chloe wanted it; he knew that. But it was her turn to make the decisions. Not him. If she wanted him, she needed to let him know. He would not just take her silence as acquiesce to his desires. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to Chloe’s temple. He could only imagine what was going through his head and his heart broke. But they needed this. She needed to be forced to see that she had always been the one in charge. Without releasing Chloe, Clark shut off the water. Opening the curtain, Chloe squinted against the soft moonlight. She felt Clark’s hold loosen and she scrambled down. She sailed out of the tub and over the shelf where the towels were kept. With jerky, terse movements, Chloe wrapped one tightly around herself. Taking another one, she tossed it at Clark as she snatched her robe off the floor and threw that over herself. Watching her with sad eyes, Clark toweled off and stepped out himself. If only she would believe anything he said. He had done all he could do and yet he still didn’t feel it was enough. It had to be, though.   
  
She left him to dress, refusing to look at him. He tugged on his clothes, not bothering to lace or button anything. He walked out of the bathroom to see her leaning against the counter. He knew she heard him because she stiffened when he came into the room.  
  
“Chloe,” he breathed, his throat catching.   
  
He began again. "Chloe, I didn't stop because I didn't want to. I stopped because -" Clark broke off again. If she would just look at him. "Chloe, I love you. You needed to know that before -" Words failed him. He didn't know what else he could say. So he just repeated the one thing he really needed her to believe. "I love you, Chloe."  
  
She continued to keep her back to him. Clark knew she was crying. He gripped the wall to keep himself from rushing to her and wrapping her in his arms and kissing her tears away, pleading with her not to shut him out; to love him as much as he loved her.   
  
“I’m pretty sure the Red K is gone, Clark,” Chloe began, the voice chilling him to the bone. “Seems we’re out of the woods now. And –“ her voice broke. Clark made it to the island before he stopped himself, holding the wood in a splintering grip. She took a breath. “I think it would be a good idea if we took a break from each other.”  
  
Clark’s heart pounded. Not allowing anything to stop him, he strode up to her, a hand reaching out.  
  
“Don’t.”  
  
That was all it took to stop him.  
  
Clark let his hand drop.   
  
“Please, leave.”  
  
“Chloe – “ His throat was raspy with pain. “You have to –“  
  
“Clark, please. I need you to leave. Now.”  
  
Clark continued to stand there for innumerable minutes before he realized Chloe would not turn around. She would wait until the second coming before turning around. Clark clenched his jaw. She was stone. The one stone he couldn’t break.   
  
He stormed to the door and ripped it open. He turned and looked at her slender back, her head held high and immovable.  
  
“Whatever happens now, it’s all on you,” Clark said, anger and hurt warring for purchase in his low voice. “I want  _you,_ Chloe. I _love_ you. But I can’t prove it if you refuse to let me.So now you have to  _choose_ to believe me; that it was  _me_ who wanted you and not some damn rock dust. And I can’t do any more than I already have to help you make that choice.”  
  
Chloe stood stoically, her ears clinging to his words. The door closed and Chloe listened closely, listening to Clark’s heavy footsteps tread down the stairs. She turned around and crumpled to floor, allowing the sobs to shake her body as she wrapped her arms around herself. She could not make this choice! He thought she was in control, but she wasn’t! She never was when it came to him!   
  
She sat there until all the spare water in her body had poured out. Sitting staring at the door Clark had walked out of hours before, Chloe knew it was over. It was finally over. Her and Clark, whatever they were, were finally finished. 


	12. Chapter 12

It had been a few weeks. Chloe was miserable in that annoyingly perky way Lois  _loathed_. She breezed in and out of the apartment and the Planet like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Lois knew it was just an act, though. When Chloe thought no one saw, there was such a haunted cast in her eyes. When they passed Smallville’s Market and she caught sight of a hand-painted sign heralding the Kents’ famous produce, Chloe’s mouth quivered and she quickly turned her head away to hide the tears Lois knew began to fill her eyes.   
  
Clark, if it was possible, was  _worse_. Clark had gone beyond brooding. He walked around town with a perpetual glare on his face. Lois would have given her morning cup of coffee for a good brood from him. Instead, he stomped around Smallville snarling and snapping at anything that had the misfortune to wandered into his path. At least while brooding, he was manageable. Lois could tease him and bust his chops but this took all the fun out of things. Especially since it was Lois who nudged him toward telling Chloe how he felt.   
  
And how is Lois feeling, she thought? Well, Lois is annoyed and just plain pissed at their childish behavior! It was time for action. Lois sat at her desk and did not budge until she was sure she’d formed a brilliant plan. Maybe not brilliant, but it was pretty darn good. And if those two were as miserable without the other as she believed them to be, then there was no way it  _wouldn’t_  work!  
  
Lois leaned forward and snatched her phone from its cradle, dialing a familiar number. She fidgeted with the cord as it rang, her jaw clenching as she waiting for it to be answered.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
Lois blew out a breath she’d been holding in relief. “Oh, Mrs. Kent! I am so glad you answered! I need a favor…”  
  


~ ~ ~

  
“I’m not asking you to talk to her! Just give her the folder and send her on her way, Clark,” Martha explained to him in exasperation. She slapped the thick folder on the bar as Clark sat there staring morosely into a glass of tea. He flicked his eyes to the folder and then back to his glass.   
  
Martha stopped and looked at her son. She walked back to the bar and leaned against the counter. “Why don’t you just go to talk to her, honey? I am sure everything will be fine.”  
  
Clark didn’t lift his head. “No. I told her it was her decision. That she was in control of where she wanted us to go,” he replied quietly. He hadn’t told his mother about the RedK but he’d given her the G-rated version when she’d dropped in unexpectedly yesterday.  
  
Sighing, Martha reached out and squeezed Clark’s hand. “Hope for the best, Clark,” she said with a sly smile. “And please tell Lois when she picks up the folder to use this information wisely. I’m not looking to get run out of office on a rail just because she has a hunch.”  
  
Clark nodded.   
  
“Are you going to tell me goodbye?”  
  
Clark looked up suddenly. “You’re leaving?”  
  
Martha rolled her eyes. “Clark, I have a luncheon in Metropolis. I’ll be home around 5 o’clock.”  
  
“Sorry, Mom,” Clark apologized sheepishly. “I’ll see you later.”  
  
Martha shook her head. She scurried around and kissed his forehead before scampering out to her car.  
  
Clark watched her go. He should have offered to drive her. Then he could have sulked in Metropolis and let Lois pick up the damn envelope on her way back into Smallville. He wanted to see Lois even less than normal since he’d told Chloe he loved her. And she’d shut him out. He longed to ask Lois how Chloe was doing but he was worried he wouldn’t like the answer. What if she was fine? Better than ever! He was sorely tempted to use Lois as a sounding-board. It was like talking to a taller, louder and brown-er Chloe. No, he wouldn’t. He had said all he could to Chloe and a kind word from Lois would make no difference, he was certain.   
  
Clark knocked back the rest of his drink like it was liquor, still eyeing the envelope malevolently. Setting his glass in the sink, he went to a drawer and rummaged for a post-it. Slapping it on the envelope he scribbled out ‘USE WISELY’. There; now he could retreat to the loft and Lois could get the message from his mother all the same. No need for interaction between them.   
  


~ ~ ~

“Lois, no!  _No!”_  
  
“Chloe! Please! You have got to do this for me!  
  
“I don’t got to do anything for you! Not since 8th grade when I switched places with you for your annual required boot camp at the base so you could spend the summer living like a groupie with that guitarist you were so hung up on. Who, by the way, was still too old for you. I have pre-paid many an I.O.U. with that stunt and still have the blisters on my feet to prove it!”   
  
Lois huffed across the phone line. “Chloe,” she started again more patiently. “I am stuck in Chicago until gawd-knows-when with this storm. All I need you to do is run that folder by the Farm so Mrs. Kent has it when she leaves. Clark is not even going to be there!”  
  
“How do you know?”  
  
“Because I called asked, all right?” Lois snapped. “Martha said he went to Granville to pick some tractor part or trigger something. I don’t know! But of course, if you continue to drag your heels, he just might be there when you pull up so maybe you should get moving! Right now, the coast is clear.”  
  
Chloe growled as she began searching for this phantom folder.   
  
“You’re a peach, cuz!”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Chloe griped. She grabbed the folder and tucked it under her arm, slinging her purse over shoulder and plucking her keys off the counter. “But just know I have added another I.O.U. to my tab. You’re reaching you’re limit, missy.”  
  
“Oh, I am sure I still have a few I can cash in,” Lois said mysteriously and Chloe could tell she was smiling.  
  
“What does that mean?” Chloe asked, taking the stairs down into the Talon.  
  
“Thanks for this, Chloe! Mrs. Kent really needs that folder before she returns to D.C.!”  
  
The line went dead. Chloe pulled the phone from her ear. Tucking the phone into her back pocket, she headed out of the coffee shop to her car, trying to stifle the sprigs of anxiety that were attempting to take root in her stomach. All she would do was walk up the porch steps, knock on the door, leave the envelope in the box by the door and  _run_ ; run like Lex Luthor was nipping at her heels.  
  


~ ~ ~

Clark sat in the loft, Shelby at his feet and a book open in his lap. He really wasn’t reading the book, though. He was staring at the words but he didn’t see them. Instead, he saw lush flesh moving under his hands and pearly white teeth sinking into a plump, pink bottom lip to quiet cries of pleasure. Catching the sound of an engine, Clark shook his head and looked at his watch. It was too early for his mother to be back, though she should be heading toward Smallville soon. Clark grimaced. It must be Lois. He scrambled from the couch in the loft and stalked to the window, peering out but trying to stick to the shadows. If she came looking for him, he could speed off to the fields and hide. He wondered why he didn’t do that now but he spotted Shelby and knew the dog would try to follow. So Clark contented himself to hide. The car turned onto the gravel drive and headed for the house. Clark’s heart froze and then jumped into his throat, strangling any noise from his vocal cords when he saw Chloe’s silver car pull into view.  
  
With wide eyes, Chloe got out and looked around hesitantly. Not seeing anyone, she began heading for the house. With an excited tremble in his limbs, Clark left his hiding spot and raced down the loft stairs, vaulting over the second story railing to the dirt floor of the barn and out into the sun. He loped around the edge of the house to see Chloe jog up the steps. She tucked another folder matching the one in the kitchen into the mail slot by the door, knocked quickly and then spun around, making a quick getaway only to stop short and squeal when she caught sight of Clark.  
  
Her throat worked convulsively as she stared into the dark eyes of the man before her. Her stomach churned and she was sure she was about to lose the breakfast she had earlier. Licking her lips nervously and reaching up to twirl some hair, she cast around in her head for something to say.  
  
“I-“ she began but stopped when his eyes turned more intense. She motioned to the folder behind her. “Lois needed me to drop that off for your- For Mrs. Kent. So, there it is.”  
  
Whatever hope that had glowed inside Clark was doused out by her limp tone. She barely met his eyes, clearly uncomfortable. Chloe edged off the steps and gave him wide berth as she headed back to her car.   
  
“Just a second,” Clark called out gruffly.   
  
Chloe stilled, flinching at his voice. Clark clenched his teeth. He was such an idiot. Chloe didn’t want him; he’d just been an easy lay. She turned, her face set in stone once more.  
  
“I have something for Lois. I guess we were supposed to trade.”  
  
Clark stomped up the stairs and disappeared into the house. Hurrying into the kitchen, he grabbed the folder and walked back, taking long strides. He stopped right inside the door, looking at Chloe as she waited. Her mask had slipped. She stood, looking out over the fields, a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were watery and she wiped them quickly and roughly. Clark opened his senses. Her heart beat rapidly and she fought to calm her breathing. That was not the reactions of someone unaffected. He hit the screen door and sauntered out on the porch, the envelope clutched in his right hand.  
  
“Here you go,” he said curtly, holding the folder out between them. Chloe took a few steps forward and reached for the folder. In a move like lightning, Clark caught her arm in his free hand, tossing the folder to the side and pulling Chloe to him simultaneously.  
  
“Clark!” She cried. She stared at him with frightened eyes as he loomed over her, eyes drinking her in, pupils dilated. It wasn’t the lotion! She had went and hosed off any traces of it off the pavement. She’d then threw away any and all bath and body products in the bathroom and replaced them all with products bought from a Bath & Body Works store nestled safely in a Metropolis mall. She’d even gone as far as to badger the clerk to confirm where this shipment had come from and was indescribably happy when the severely perturbed manager told her they’d been shipped from the main hub in Ohio. So what was causing him to act like this now?  
  
His grip softened at the sight of her fright but he didn’t release her. He held her by the arm trapped between them, his other hand splayed across her back to keep her from wriggling away. His eyes caressed her face, traveled to her neck and clung to the pulse point just under her neck. It pumped frantically. He swallowed, not bothering to hide the stark desire in his eyes. Chloe gasped.  
  
“Is that  _all_ you came for?” Clark asked in a husky whisper.  
  
Chloe shivered. His palm was burning her arm and his other arm held her prisoner against his body. She was dizzy and couldn’t think. Was that all she came for? Yes! Was it all she wanted? Not even close.   
  
“Y-yes,” she stuttered, not daring to look Clark in the eyes.   
  
“Fine,” Clark said curtly, releasing her and Chloe stumbled, not realizing how much of her weight she’d given to him.  
  
Chloe swallowed and dared a look at Clark. He stood a few steps away from her glaring at her, his chest expanding with deep breaths.   
  
 _“Oh, what the hell,”_  Clark suddenly growled. He bolted for Chloe, crashing into her as he cupped her face and fitted his mouth to hers, backing her up until she hit the car.   
  
The kiss stole Chloe’s breath and any ability to form coherent thoughts in her head. She clung to Clark, her hands fisting in his shirt as she rose up on her toes to meet him. Opening her lips, she drew Clark’s bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled, her hands flattening against his stomach, fingers tracing the line of his abs. Clark pulled his lips away and pressed his forehead to Chloe’s, his hands sliding down the sides of her body to settle on her hips, grasping them in an iron grip to ensure she didn’t dance away from him.  
  
“Please tell me I’m not the only one who wants this,” Clark whispered roughly.  
  
Chloe bit her lip, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She shook her head, her forehead moving against his. “No. No, I want you, too.”  
  
Clark leaned back, still keeping hold on Chloe with one hand while the other tucked a few fingers under her chin and lifted, forcing her to meet his eyes.   
  
“Then you believe me?” Clark asked, looking deep into Chloe’s eyes. “You believe that I love you?”  
  
Chloe’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I want to.”  
  
Clark’s face split into a grin. “Does that mean you’ll let me continue to prove it to you?”  
  
“I don’t think I have a choice,” Chloe replied with a small smile.  
  
Clark’s grin turned serious. “Chloe, I need you to tell me. I need you to tell me yes.”  
  
Chloe took a deep breath. “I can’t pretend that I don’t have my doubts. Do you want me because you’ve seen me naked or do you want me because I’m  _me?_ But I am willing to find out.”  
  
“That’s not what I wanted to hear, but it’s enough,” Clark replied. “ _For now_ ,” he added sternly.  
  
“Where do we go from here?” Chloe asked quietly.   
  
“Well, anywhere but here,” Clark observed, looking around. “Mom will be back any moment from Metropolis.”  
  
Chloe couldn’t help the laughter that spilled out of her mouth. Clark, with furrowed brows, looked back at her.  
  
“I meant where do we take this new and uncharted territory of our relationship now that we know where we stand, Clark,” Chloe clarified.  
  
“I know, Chloe,” Clark said with slight aggravation. “But you also said I am to continue to prove my feelings to you.”  
  
“And you think the only way to prove that you love me is by sex?” Chloe snapped.  
  
“Among other things!” Clark exclaimed. He smiled sheepishly and had the grace to turn a little pink.   
  
Chloe ran her hands up his chest and plunged a hand into his hair, pulling him down a little. “I guess uninfluenced RedK whoopie is a step in the right direction,” she told him coyly, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth.   
  
Clark pulled away again, frowning down at her. “It’s not just sex to me, Chloe.”  
  
“I know it’s not,” Chloe responded gently. “I’m just not ready to call it ‘making love’. You’re going to have to give me time.”  
  
Clark wrapped Chloe in his arms, bending her back against the car. “Oh, I’ll give you all the time you need,” he husked as he claimed her mouth again.   
  
“Seriously,” Clark ground out when he against Chloe's pliant lips. He nuzzled her ear, his hot breath causing her to shiver as she leaned back underneath him. “Where do we go?”  
  
“Talon, the apartment,” Chloe replied, her voice gravelly from the desire coursing through her body. “Lois is in Chicago.”  
  
Chloe squealed with surprise as Clark palmed her butt, hauling her up into his arms and suddenly stood outside the back alley of the Talon.  
  
“Lois is in Chicago?” Clark asked as he set a giggling Chloe on her feet and waited impatiently for her to dig out her keys from her pocket and unlock the door.  
  
Chloe nodded, finally finding the key and unlocking the door and opening so they could both step inside. They waved politely at the small staff in the kitchen before heading out into the busy coffee shop and weaved to the stairs, Clark hustling Chloe along, his hands hovering atop her hips. “That is why I was at the Farm. She said your mother needed that folder before she left.”  
  
“Mom told me Lois was coming by the pick up a folder and to be sure to give her a message when she picked it up,” Clark told Chloe, eyeing her round backside as it swung before him up the stairs. He’d never enjoyed a climb more.   
  
They got to the door and Chloe turned around, leaning against the door with a mischievous smile. Clark leered toward her, trapping her between the door and his body. “Why, Clark Kent, I think were set up by two meddling matchmakers.”  
  
Placing his hands on either side of Chloe’s head, Clark leaned down nuzzled her nose with his before following her cheek to her temple, whispering into her, “Judging by the outcome, they can meddle in my life any time they want.”  
  
“You do remember one of those matchmakers is Lois?”  
  
“Remind me to thank her.”  
  
Chloe snorted as she turned and began to unlock the apartment door. “You must be hard up!”  
  
Clark stepped forward and pressed himself against Chloe, a sly grin gracing his face when he heard Chloe gasp. “You’re about to find out just how  _hard_ I am,” he growled against the soft skin of her neck.  
  
Chloe pushed the door open and spun back around, grabbing his shirt and pulling him inside. Clark slammed the door just as Chloe pushed him up against the door, her hands sliding up under his shirt and against his bare skin. Clark grasped the lapels of her short jacket and began to push it off her shoulders. The two froze when a soft  _“ahem”_ floated across the room.   
  
Whirling around, Chloe’s wide eyes landed on Lois sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in one hand and the remote in the other.   
  
“Lois?” Chloe asked indigantly.  
  
“Chloe,” Lois replied smugly.  
  
“Chicago?” Chloe crossed her arms and gave her cousin a reproachful look.  
  
Lois grinned widely, looking quite proud of herself. She pointed a finger down to the floor, indicating the Talon. “Kitchen.”  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes, doing her best to appear miffed at her cousin. “Leave.”  
  
“Gone!” Lois jumped off the sofa, tossing the remote down. She hurried to the door, grabbing her purse from the hook and slipped out the door as Clark opened it for her. “Way to go, John Deere!” She whispered as she gave Clark a thumbs up before Clark shut the door hurriedly.  
  
When he turned back from the door after making sure it was locked securely, Clark found Chloe sitting on the kitchen counter, smiling at him.  
  
“John Deere?” She asked with a cock of her head.  
  
“I think I spoke too soon about welcoming Lois’ meddling,” Clark mumbled, remembering their conversation at the Planet.  
  
He crossed to Chloe and laid his hands on her thighs. Chloe settled her hands on Clark’s shoulders. They were eye to eye. They gotten to the Talon; they were alone. The want and need was still there but neither one really knew how to get to where they wanted to be. Chloe curled her hands into the hair at Clark’s neck. A soft smile bloomed on her face. Clark returned it with a goofy grin of his own. Together, they both leaned in and lips caught. That was all it took. The lick of fire blazed and began to burn between them.  
  
Clark took her knees and pushed them apart, stepping closer as her thighs closed around him. He wrapped his arms around Chloe’s waist as she sat atop the counter, her hands buried in his hair as their mouths dueled together; the heat between them becoming almost unbearable.   
  
“Off,” Chloe groused when she tore away for breath. She grasped her jacket sleeves and tried to yank them off her arms. “Hot. Off.”  
  
Nodding, Clark took the cuffs and pulled them over her hands and then helped Chloe out of the rest, the jacket falling to the floor. Before Clark could offer anymore assistance, Chloe had latched onto the hem of her orange tank and pulled it over her head, throwing it over her shoulder where it landed in the sink. She reached forward and caught at Clark’s shirt collar.  
  
 _“Off,”_ Chloe ordered. Clark chuckled. He mimicked Chloe’s actions, his own shirt joining hers in the kitchen sink.   
  
Chloe laid her hands on Clark’s neck, pulling him forward again, gazing at his bare chest. She ran a hand down and swiped against his smooth muscles. She looked back at Clark, her eyes almost bashful.   
  
“You’re so pretty,” she said quietly.   
  
Clark reached up and tucked some hair behind Chloe’s ear. He delved his eyes down as well, taking in a form he didn’t think he’d ever see again. He just wanted to stare. He smiled happily, pressing a big hand to her ribcage, his pulse speeding up when Chloe caught a moan behind her teeth. He met her eyes, the green flecks snapping with passion and desire.  
  
“You’re gorgeous.”  
  
Chloe snorted and ducked her head.  
  
“No,” Clark shook his head vehemently. “You are.” He leaned in and gathered Chloe as close as he could, their skin touching and sizzling as he pressed open-mouthed kisses along her neck to her ear. He took a lobe in his teeth and bit down gently, causing Chloe to squirm against him. “Let me show you,” he whispered heatedly in the shell of her ear.   
  
Chloe nodded, making an eager sound in the back of her throat.   
  
Clark returned to latch onto her neck, sucking the tender skin between her chin and shoulder harshly between his teeth, meaning to mark her as his own. Chloe opened her mouth, a guttural moan filling Clark’s ears. She splayed her hands on either side of his back, fingers digging in to his corded muscles. In the morning, she’d have one hell of a hickey that no make-up in the world would hide but she didn’t even care. She’d wear it with pride: his brand on her skin.  
  
Running hands along her thighs, up her belly, tickling her sides and making her wiggle, Clark found the straps of her bra. Instead of snapping them like previous times, Clark slowly pulled them down, wishing to reveal Chloe as if she were a treat; meant to be savored and cherished. Once the straps hung down the sides, Clark ran his hands back up, cupping Chloe’s shoulders before he moved his hands down and back again, pulling her forward as his mouth followed the path his hands traveled before returning to take her lips again.   
  
Chloe’s knees came up as she toed off her shoes and pressed her bare feet to Clark’s jean-clad thighs. She shivered against his lips as his hands snaked around her torso; his tongue snaking along her lips before finally dipping inside her waiting mouth. Clark’s blunt fingers unsnapped her bra and Chloe’s body temperature spiked again. Chloe’s head swam. Clark was undressing her. He was not in the blind passion he’d been in before, ripping her clothes from her body in order to get to what was beneath, but taking his time, reveling in each bit of skin he slowly unveiled. With a flourish of his tongue that made Chloe clutch him tightly, Clark pulled back from her, dragging the flimsy garment from her body and placing it tidily to the side of her hip. Chloe bit her lip, her nerves pinging as Clark stepped back and his eyes drank her in greedily; as if it had been the first time he’d seen her like this.   
  
Clark swallowed before his lips parted and he raked his eyes heatedly back up to meet Chloe’s eyes.   
  
Chloe tried to think up some smart quip but words failed her at the way Clark’s face was awash in awe. He reached out hesitantly; feeling like Chloe was a priceless work of art that he shouldn’t be touching lest it broke. He felt small hands clutch his shoulders and he raised his eyes to meet hers again.   
  
Chloe's eyes were bright and soft. She smiled.“Make love to me, Clark.”  
  
Clark's face split in a large smile, sending Cbloe's stomach swooping in a wonderful way. "I thought you'd never ask," he replied.


	13. Chapter 13

Chloe waited with bated breath as Clark stood between her trembling thighs. His hands finally made contact with the sensitive skin of her breasts. She couldn’t stop the delighted whimper that rose up from her throat. Taking his damn time, Clark leaned forward and pressed his mouth just under her chin, kissing down until he arrived at the curve of one breast. He went to his knees before her. Chloe giggled. Clark’s eyebrows dipped down in question. It was clear he expected to be eye level with her chest. He shrugged a shoulder and pressed his mouth to Chloe’s abdomen and delivered sharp little nips, growling when Chloe’s hands tunneled into his hair, pulling gently. He pulled back and looked up at her.  
  
“Clark, please,” she said quietly, her eyes burning with desire.  
  
Standing, Clark cupped her cheeks in his hands. He leaned his forehead to hers. “I realized something.”  
  
Chloe swallowed and nodded. “What?”  
  
“That all the times we’ve been together I never took my time, Chloe. I remember what it feels like and it feels  _amazing,_ but I don’t remember  _you._ And I’m going to  _memorize_  you tonight.”  
  
Chloe sighed. “Don’t you have a photographic memory? This should be quick."  
  
Clark chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. This is going to be an extensive study. No cramming. I'm shooting for an A+.”  
  
“So, that is a no to a quickie on the counter, then?” Chloe clarified.  
  
Clark quirked his lips up. “Yes, that is definitely a no.” He lowered his head again but lifted it again as he caught her scrunched face   
  
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked, tracing her thin lips with a finger.  
  
Chloe shook her head. “Nothing, Clark. Everything is fine.”  
  
“Chloe.” Clark stepped in front of her, gripping her bare waist in his hands. “I know that look. Are you already having second thoughts?”  
  
“No!” Chloe answered vehemently. “It’s just… I’m nervous,” she finished softly.  
  
Clark grinned.   
  
“Shut up!” Chloe said, pushing his shoulder.  
  
“Why are you nervous?”  
  
Chloe caught her bottom lip between her teeth and pulled it in. Clark licked his lips. How he wanted to be the one sinking teeth into that bottom lip. Or having those pretty little teeth sink into his shoulder. He felt a shudder go through his body.  
  
“Chloe, why are you nervous?” He asked again, his voice low and thick with arousal.  
  
Her lips parted. “What if it’s not…  _good?”_  
  
Clark cocked his head. “If what is not good?”  
  
“You know…” Chloe said, motioning between them. “This.  _Us.”_  
  
“I think we’ve already established that it’s pretty damn good, Chlo,” Clark responded, dipping his head to her shoulder.  
  
“Yeah, but-“ Clark sighed and stood straight again, gazing down at Chloe. “That was with RedK in your system. What if-“  
  
“Was it not good for you?” Clark demanded.  
  
“No! I mean,  _yes!”_  Chloe exclaimed. “Yes! It was… Indescribable. But… Clark, you were functioning on RedK. What if it heightens… I don’t know.”  
  
Clark smiled softly. He gathered Chloe close and kissed her deeply. When she melted against him, her fingers digging into his the back of his head, he lifted his head.   
  
“Chloe, I love you. Red K didn’t change that. When you weren’t around, I  _still_ wanted you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I promise, it’s still gonna be good for me.  _You_ are all I need.”  
  
Chloe took a deep breath. She looked around the room. “Did I kill the mood?”  
  
Clark threw his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking. When the last of the merriment ebbed away, he looked back at Chloe, her cheeks flushed prettily. He circled a delicate wrist with his fingers and brought it to his jeans, hissing out a breath when Chloe pressed against him of her own accord.   
  
“It’s gonna take a lot more than nerves to kill my mood,” he told her huskily.  
  
“Good to know,” Chloe replied unsteadily before Clark’s mouth lips hers again. They kissed heatedly, teeth nipping and tongues dancing. Chloe’s fingers curled around Clark’s erection nestled in his jeans causing Clark to growl into her open mouth. Smiling against Clark’s lips, Chloe brought her hand to the fly of his jeans, keeping her other hand pressed against him. She worked the button through the button hole and teasingly ran her fingers along the hot skin just above the waistband of Clark’s boxers.  
  
Clark pulled back from Chloe with a curse.  
  
“Really?” Chloe teased Clark, tightening her thighs around his hips as his whole body leaned back.  
  
Clark made a face and rolled his eyes. “I don’t have a condom.” Suddenly, his eyes went wide and looked at Chloe in a panic. He grabbed Chloe by the arms. “Chloe, the entire time, did we use anything? I can’t remember! Because of the Red K, I was only focused on one thing!”  
  
It was Chloe’s turn to laugh heartily.  
  
“This is not funny, Chloe!” Clark exclaimed, his heart beating frantically.  
  
“I’m sorry, Clark,” Chloe said hurriedly, biting her laughter back at the sight of his frightened expression. She looped her arms around Clark’s neck, toying with the hair at the back of his neck again. “It’s not funny. I think we’re good, though. You are an alien; I’d hardly think we are biologically compatible to have a pregnancy scare. And don’t worry about the other times. I’ve had us covered.”   
  
“What do you mean, ‘had us covered’?” Clark asked with furrowed brows.   
  
“Birth control, Clark. I’m on birth control. I get an injection every month so you don’t even have to worry about me forgetting to take a pill.”  
  
“Why?” Clark asked. He did a quick calculation. Chloe and Jimmy hadn’t been together in almost a year.   
  
“Well, because of situations just like this one, for starters. Can’t always depend on the guy to do the protecting,” Chloe teased.  
  
“And just how many guys have you needed “protecting” from, Chloe?” Clark demanded, his eyes sparking with an orange glint.  
  
Chloe put her hands on Clark’s chest and pushed him back. “Wow. First, let’s ignore that blatantly insulting inference, Clark Kent, and focus on just why your eyes are glowing.”  
  
Clark shook his head and blinked. “What?”  
  
“Your eyes,” Chloe motioned with her hand. “They’re glowing. Like they did at the Planet. Oh, my gawd, Clark! You  _can’t_ be jealous!”  
  
“No!” Clark replied vehemently.   
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. She pushed Clark back some more and hopped off the counter. She went over and plucked Clark’s shirt out of the sink and pulled it over her head. At the disappearance of her luscious skin, Clark rushed over to her, making a grab at her waist.  
  
“Chloe, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-“  
  
“Come here.” Chloe took his hand and hauled him to the bathroom. Positioning him in front of the mirror, she looked at him in the reflection. “See? What do you call that?”  
  
Clark leaned in. His eyes were glowing. He swallowed. He remembered the day at the Planet; how close he’d come to really doing some damage. He closed his eyes and rubbed them. They were hot under the lids. He just assumed it had been the Red K. He felt Chloe’s soft hand on his arm, her arm snaking around his waist. Clark took a few deep breaths. When he opened his eyes again, they were calm and the comforting mix of blue and green. He turned and looked down at Chloe. She gave him a small smile.   
  
“Chloe, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. None of this has gone the way I expected. We weren’t  _supposed_  to jump into bed when you got back from the islands. You were  _supposed_  to believe me when I told you I loved you. Our first time wasn’t supposed to be on the kitchen counter. I had a  _plan!“_  
  
Chloe shook her head to stop Clark’s rambling. She leaned against Clark, looking up into his face. “I know you didn’t. You were just jealous.” She lifted a hand, smoothing her thumb over his cheekbone. “You had that same gleam in the kitchen and then again at the Planet. Clark, you have nothing to be jealous over. I promise there hasn’t been anyone since Jimmy.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter if there was,” Clark told her, turning into her arms and pulling her closer. “Because you and I weren’t together like that.”  
  
“Yes, it does matter, Clark,” Chloe replied firmly. “It’s important to  _me._ There was  _one_ after Jimmy, but there was also one before him, too. It was you. It’s always been you.”  
  
Clark gripped her hips, gazing down into Chloe’s eyes. “There’s only been you and Lana. Mostly you, though,” Clark said with a grin. “If I hadn’t been such a moron there would have only been you. And there wouldn’t have been a Jimmy,” Clark finished on a growl.  
  
“We needed Jimmy and Lana, Clark. We needed to make those mistakes to know what we have is real.” Chloe rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Clark’s jaw sweetly. “Which leads me to my next question. You had a plan?”  
  
Clark nodded proudly. “I did have a plan. A very good plan that I spent a lot of time planning. Which is ruined now.”  
  
Chloe tilted her head. “Not necessarily. I think we have effectively ruined any chances of sex happening this afternoon, though. Why don’t we do what we do best? Why don’t we talk?”  
  
“I have to say, Chloe, I think there is something else we’ve gotten pretty good at besides talking,” Clark responded cheekily. “But, you’re right. One of the biggest things I hated about this whole RedK incident is that I could never stop myself long enough to talk to you. Because I wanted to talk to you so much about what was going on.”  
  
Chloe could sense Clark was getting dangerously close to guilt territory. She framed his neck in her hands. “Hey, none of that. I could have stopped you at any time. I enjoyed what we were doing just as much as you did. It’s not like you stole my maidenly virtue or anything. We just got things slightly out of order; which is actually very  _us.”_  
  
Clark relaxed into Chloe’s touch. “Can we at least talk naked?”  
  
Chloe giggled. “I think that would prove to be a little distracting, don’t you, Clark? It might defeat the purpose of what we are trying to accomplish.”  
  
"I don't know,” Clark began, sliding his hands up under the hem of his shirt to touch Chloe’s waist, fingering her bare skin. “Depends on what we are trying to accomplish.”  
  
With a groan, Chloe pushed Clark’s hands from her and stepped away from him. “Go get dressed, I’ll order us some pizza and we can spend the night on the couch. We can cuddle, how about that?”  
  
“Okay,” Clark said with a smug grin. “Can I have my shirt back, then?”  
  
Chloe waggled a finger at him. “You think you are so clever.” She swept past him into the bedroom and began rummaging in a dresser drawer. She turned her back to him and slipped off his shirt, tossing it on the bed. The sight of her naked back was enough to cause Clark to tighten in his jeans. He clenched his teeth. She soon covered back up with a tank top. Then she was unbuttoning her jeans. Clark’s eyes widened. He cleared his throat.  
  
“Chloe, I might need to take a shower.”  
  
Chloe turned. She looked at him in confusion and then understanding dawned. “Oh, Clark! I am so sorry! Are you still – Do I need to – “  
  
She rushed over gripping his jeans that were still unbuttoned. “Clark, I know you didn’t like talking about it before, but have you been hard since the time in the shower?”  
  
Clark stepped back, barring Chloe’s hands from reaching him. There may be no Red K in the vicinity, but if Chloe got her hands anywhere near him, this would be over. She looked a little hurt as Clark shied from her touch.  
  
“Chloe, if you touch me…” Clark trailed off.  
  
“Right,” Chloe said with a curt nod. She fisted her hands.   
  
Clark smiled at her desire to help him. “I just need to take a shower and get it under control.”  
  
“It will go away, though, won’t it?”  
  
“Oh, I hope so,” Clark breathed jokingly.  
  
“Clark,” Chloe said in a warning. “Have you been erect for the past few weeks?”  
  
“No, I haven’t,” Clark answered her. “It seemed that was some kind of side effect from the Red K. This is all me. It will go away. I just need to…” He motioned to the shower behind him.  
  
“Yes! Sorry! I’ll order the pizza and just… I’m sorry.”  
  
Clark grasped the door to the bathroom. “If I trusted myself more, I’d kiss you right now.”  
  
Chloe bit her bottom lip and smiled.   
  
“That’s not helping,” Clark whined as he shut the door.

~ ~ ~

Chloe had just paid the pizza delivery guy when Clark stepped out of the shower. Setting the pizza box on the counter, she turned to watch Clark as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his wet head. He’d not bothered with his boots or socks and he padded into the living area of the apartment in his bare feet.  
  
“Do you feel better?” Chloe asked. She wanted to be more blunt, but didn’t want to chance reawakening anything. Clark seemed to like it when she spoke in graphic phrases if some responses during the Red K love fest could be trusted.   
  
Clark, catching her drift, nodded eagerly. “Yes. Shower fixed it.”  
  
Chloe smiled at him. “Hungry? I’m absolutely ravenous.”  
  
Clark’s eyes met hers and Chloe immediately regretted her choice of words at the heated cast in his eyes.  
  
“This isn’t going to be easy, is it?” Chloe toyed with the sleeve of the robe she’d tossed over her tank and short pajama set.  
  
Clark shook his head. He walked to the cabinet and got two plates, bringing them over to Chloe as she lifted the top of the box. Clark set the plates down. “No, it won’t be, but if it’s what you want, then I’ll make it work.”  
  
Taking two pieces of pizza, plopping them onto Clark’s plate and then one for herself, the two retreated to the couch. Clark sat at one end and Chloe sat one another. He cast a longing gaze at her across the cushion.  
  
“What are you doing, Chlo?”  
  
Chloe kept her eyes on her pizza. “I just thought this might be better.”  
  
“It’s not.” Clark reached out with a long arm and grasped her robe and began yanking. A shy smile graced Chloe’s face. She slid over and tucked herself against Clark’s side, pulling her knees up and to the side, her ear resting against Clark’s chest. He had gotten rid of one of the plates and now just one sat in his lap with the three slices of pizza piled on, both of them picking at the same piece.  
  
“This is  _much_ better,” Clark murmured contentedly a few minutes later with his chin resting on top of Chloe’s head. He felt her cheek move as she grinned. She raised her hand with a torn off chunk of pizza. Clark leaned forward, taking the morsel into his mouth, making sure to nip her finger tips just as he had with every other bite she had offered him.  
  
They sat that way until they finished the pizza on the plate. When all was left was crumbs, Chloe leaned forward and set the plate on the coffee table. She turned in such a way to face Clark, leaning against the back of the couch, one arm up and her chin resting in her palm. Clark reached over and tugged her legs into his lap. He threw her robe off the side and began massaging her calves in tender, absent-minded strokes.  
  
Chloe smirked. “Glad I thought to shave my legs today.”  
  
Clark grinned. “It’s preferred, but I wouldn’t complain.”  
  
“Oh, whatever, Clark,” Chloe replied with a chortle. “Stubble on legs is any man’s kryptonite. Including you, I am sure.”  
  
“No! In fact,” Clark paused. He began swiping in one concentrated spot. “I think you missed a spot.”  
  
“I did not!” Chloe exclaimed, attempting to free her legs from Clark’s hands.  
  
“Oh, I think you did. A few, actually,” Clark continued, his hands traveling higher onto her thighs.  
  
“You are lying, Clark Kent!” Chloe cried. Clark allowed her legs to slip free. Frantically, Chloe stood began running her hands over her smooth and supple legs. She turned back to Clark with a glare, settling her hands on her hips. “If this is your idea of a romantic overture, we have got some work to do, Farmboy.”  
  
At the sound of Chloe calling him Farmboy, Clark felt his mouth go dry. She hadn’t called him that since their first time on the kitchen cabinet; how he’d missed it. He snatched his hand out, encircled her wrist and hauled her down into his lap before she had the chance to even squeal.  
  
Chloe landed in Clark’s lap, eyes wide, as his big hands settled on her flared hips and she clutched at his broad shoulders to keep her balance. She licked her lips nervously as she stared down into his eyes. They weren’t glowing but they certainly were filled with dark, smoldering desire, making Chloe’s stomach twist and turn in a way that proved wondrous things were about to happen.  
  
Clark stretched his neck as Chloe leaned down, their lips meeting in the middle. A hand slid up and buried itself at the base of Chloe’s neck in her tousled hair, holding her mouth against Clark’s, while his other hand stayed anchored to her hip. The heat began to build again as they kissed. Chloe nipped along Clark’s bottom lip; her teeth sinking down gently in the plump flesh, causing Clark’s hips to jerk upward.   
  
Chloe pulled away with gasp and swallowed convulsively. She flattened her lips into a line and pressed her forehead to Clark’s.  
  
"I'm beginning to think we are going to need to set some guidelines here," Chloe breathed raggedly.   
  
"For tonight or for awhile?" Clark asked quietly.   
  
Chloe pulled back. Her eyes were guarded and Clark knew he'd just failed the first part of the test.   
  
"What if I said for awhile?"   
  
Clark locked Chloe's gaze with his own. He'd never been big on words. It was why he had always had trouble really communicating to Lana, and now Chloe, the depth of his feelings. He summoned all the things he was feeling and all the things he was thinking about how wonderful and beautiful and funny and accepting Chloe was and hoped it shine in his eyes.  
  
"Chloe, I love you. I'll do whatever you need me to do. As long as you just let me love you."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and fell against his chest with a whimper. " _That,_ for one thing, needs to stop."  
  
Clark grinned and wrapped his arms around Chloe as she cuddled closer. "What exactly needs to stop? Telling you I love you?"  
  
"Yes! Every time you say it, it makes me want to do the most inappropriate things to you," Chloe told him, her voice muffled from her position on his chest. She toyed with the collar of his t-shirt, tickling the skin at his neck.   
  
He lowered his mouth to her ear. "Chloe, I love you."   
  
Chloe flicked him with her middle finger playfully.   
  
"And you better learn to control your urges, because I am not going to stop telling you I love you," Clark continued. "Because you need to hear it, Chloe. I like saying it."  
  
Still in Clark's lap, Chloe resettled, making sure to face him. She laid her hands on his shoulders.   
  
"I like hearing," she began wistfully. "But it's too much pressure, Clark. I still meant what I said; I need time. And you telling me you love me..." Chloe trailed off, her eyes slipping away from Clark's.   
  
Clark nodded, understanding. "You feel like you are letting me down by not saying it back."  
  
Chloe mimicked his nod.  
  
Clark reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Chloe's ear, taking his time to tickle the shell of the appendage.   
  
"Now I know how you felt every time I didn't feel the same way about you," Clark told her sadly. "I'm sorry, Chloe."  
  
"Clark,  _no_ ," Chloe replied with force. "You have  _nothing_ to be sorry for. I do feel the same way, I-" Chloe broke off, biting her lip nervously.   
  
"You're just not ready yet." Clark tipped her chip upward, kissing her softly.   
  
"If anyone had told me there would be a day when I actually told Clark Kent to  _stop_ telling me he loved me, I would have asked them commit me to Belle Reve!" Chloe exclaimed when the kiss ended with a heavy sigh.  
  
Clark laughed softly, shifting Chloe in his lap, hoping to cause less pressure in a certain area that would need to learn to behave again. Chloe caught the movement and leaned forward and nuzzled his nose before sliding off; cuddling once more against Clark’s side and taking one of his hands in both of hers.  
  
“So, tell me about this  _plan_ of yours,” Chloe suggested, tucking her head against the crook of his neck.  
  
Clark wrapped an arm around Chloe’s shoulders, making sure she was pressed tightly to his side. He toyed with her hands in his lap as he let out an exhale of breath, slightly wistful.   
  
“It was a great plan. You would have enjoyed it. It was full of fun and flirting and…” Clark trailed off.  
  
“And…?” Chloe led as she glanced up at him.  
  
Clark’s brow was furrowed.   
  
“Clark?”  
  
“I can’t think of another ‘f’ word. I know how you like your alliteration,” Clark answered.  
  
“Oh,” Chloe replied with lifted brows. “You can’t think of another ‘f’ word, really?”  
  
Clark looked down at her with a wolfish smile. “Well, not a nice one.”   
  
She let out a happy laugh from the circle of Clark’s arm. “We've definitely had  _that_ 'f' word. It would be interesting to see if we could fit the other 2 in there, too. You feel like putting your plan into action?"  
  
"Really?" Clark asked with child-like excitement.   
  
"Yeah," Chloe nodded eagerly. "I wanna see what I missed out on!"  
  
Clark and Chloe cuddled on the couch throughout the night as they talked, finally dozing off in the early morning.   
  
Lois returned around ten o'clock, hoping that the two star crossed lovers had had enough time to become uncrossed. She quietly unlocked the door and pushed it open slowly. With a hand clamped over her eyes, Lois advanced hesitantly into the apartment.   
  
 _"Pants! Pants on everyone, please!"_  Lois whispered fervently.  
  
She heard soft snores.   
  
Widening her fingers an inch, Lois peeked out between the digits and looked toward the couch. She fought back an amused chuckle. Clark lay sprawled on his back, a leg planted solidly on the floor with an arm thrown out to the side; curled on his chest like a content kitten was Chloe. Lois snagged an afghan off the adjacent chair and approached the sleeping couple. As she shook the blanket out, Chloe’s eyes fluttered open and she blinked at Lois.  
  
“Morning,” Lois said quietly.  
  
“Mmmm,” Chloe purred before her brows puckered and she attempted to push off her human mattress.  
  
A muscular arm tightened around Chloe and Clark made a noise of dissent in the back of his throat. Chloe shrugged and slipped back down onto Clark’s chest. She smiled a ‘thank you’ as Lois proceeded to cover them with the blanket before grabbing a change of clothes and heading into the bathroom. As she turned on the water and ran a brush through her hair, Lois thought it might be time to start looking for her own place. She doubted this apartment was big enough for her and Smallville. 


End file.
